Figments of Clockwork Hands
by PhoenixEcho93
Summary: Time: The very essences of life. You don't get second chances at life. Time is permanent. But sometimes time, rules of normalcy, and everything can be changed. Take Ruby Aldridge, or should I say Miss Sapphire Grindelwald *Alternative Universe FanFiction*
1. Send The Pain Below

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. All rights are reserved to the proper authority. This is simply for fun and no profit is being made off this writing. The only thing I own is the OC characters, but everything else belongs to the Harry Potter Universe.

**AN:** This is my first fan fiction writing so please try to be kind when reviewing. If you don't like the story, please write what you think can make it better. I know I'm going to get everything right. For example, I might not cite proper ingredients to make Draught of the Living Dead Potion, but I will do my best. I'm not a big fan of OC characters, but I did not want a main character being linked to someone in the past. As for everything else, I will try my best to write in proper grammar; however, I can't guarantee that I will be perfect. If anyone has any comments, questions, concerns, please leave them in the reviews or you can message me. I have no problem answering them, and I will try to answer as quickly as possible.

If you noticed, this says this is my second fanfic; however, this is a revised version of my first three chapter story. I didn't like how I wrote my OC so I pretty much rewrote her as a normal student rather than some know-it-all god modding character. Hopefully I did a better job. And finally, now on to the story PE93 =)

_Pain - without love_

_Pain - can't get enough_

_Pain - like it rough_

'_Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all_

_Three Days Grace "Pain"_

Pain. It was all she could feel through her body. She felt her sweat dripping down her face and all over her. Her breathing was short, quick breaths trying to relieve the constant shooting pain she felt. It was what the doctor was instructing her do to. She wondered where her husband was at the most crucial part of their lives. He promised to be here. He promised her he would be here no matter what was happening. Her eyes tensed as another contraction came on to her making her push the thought to the back of her mind. Her teeth clench her lips as the pain consumed her whole body. She licked her lips tasting the blood where her teeth bit into her lips. All she wanted was the pain to go away, but her little voice in her head kept repeating "Remember the end result. The beautiful gift that you and your husband will have once this is over. Just remember the light at the end of the tunnel."

She chuckled again at the last part her mind thought of the light at the end of the tunnel. Right now, all she felt was the dark encircling their lives. She couldn't escape it no matter how far she had run away from it. The Dark always followed her, intoxicating her with the evil ways. The Dark was the only thing keeping them together, but she couldn't concentrate on this at the moment. She had more pressing issues to attend to.

"All right Cassandra. It is time for you to push," the doctor told her as he got into the right position. She gripped the side of the arm rest on her bed. The pain was excruciating and was glad the time had come. She took a few more deep breaths trying to ready herself for what was coming. "On the count of three, I want you to give it all you can," she heard him say. Her tongue moved around over her lips trying to keep her lips moist.

"One," the doctor said. Cassandra took a quick glance to her left searching with her eyes to find her husband. She closed her eyes trying to hold back the tears of disappointment.

"Two," she heard the doctor said with an excitement glee in his voice. She sighed taking in a deep breath knowing once he said three, the pain would climate. Her eyes her still closed very tight and she felt the tears starting to stream down her face. Her breaths increased rapidly as she knew the time was approaching.

"THREE!" the doctor yelled. Cassandra screamed as she pushed with all her might hoping to be put out of her misery of pain. Her faced was squished together and gripped the arm rest like her life depended on it. The only thing she thought of was her husband before she blacked out.

* * *

They have gone over it the week before. She remembered the conversation very clearly.

"Honey, there is a possibility the baby might come early. Please do not venture far on trying to deceive the ministry. I know you don't want anything to do with this, but this moment in our lives is an important step into our future as a family," she said to her annoyed looking husband. Cassandra sighed trying to reason with her husband. If he couldn't support her through this, then she had no idea how he would help her once the baby came.

Her husband rolled his eyes at her shaking his head. She's noticed that he has been frustrated with something work related for the past months, but he refused to tell her about it. It was 'classified information' the rest of the magical community should not know. "Don't give me that look. **We** had this discussion and **WE** both agreed we were ready for a child," she pleaded with him.

"Cassie, why are you pushing this on me? I told you after you got pregnant I won't be around much. The ministry is tracking me down again. Do you want me to turn myself in?" he fought back rubbing his templates. He didn't know what else to say to her. She knew the situation he got himself into. What was the point repeating it over and over again to her? If he would show up at the hospital, they would recognize him immediately and arrest him.

"No," she said while she sighed frowning. She didn't want him thrown into Azkaban or wherever else they had planned for him. She hobbled over to the stove and poured herself some hot tea. It always relaxed her whenever she got upset. "I just thought you would want to share this special occasion with me. I understand fully why you can't, but I **WANT** you there," she whispered. She needed him there. If he wasn't there, who was going to watch the baby once she slept? With new safety precautions installed because of his missions, she didn't know what they were going to do with her new son or daughter.

"Cass, you know I want to be there. I just don't want to risk the safety of you and our new baby. I don't want them to find out about us," he responded to her. He knew she wasn't going to let this rest. He sat down in a chair trying to piece the correct words together without her getting even more upset.

"I found a hospital," she said before he could reply. "I believe they support your cause for pure-blood supremacy. I owled them asking for information about hospital. I also asked what happened if the place would be attacked by you. Their reply had a smiley face saying 'No worries.'" She took a sip of her tea watching the reaction of her husband's face change quickly. He seemed very pleased with what he heard.

"Who is it? I mean, what's the hospital," he piped up. He couldn't help that this new information peeked his interested. If the hospital shared the same interest in his mission, he wouldn't have a problem being there. Plus, he wouldn't have to worry about aurors or ministry officials showing up. He would check this place out once he left their house. A small wry smile left his lips.

"Doctor Manson runs the hospital. He seems like a very unique individual and I believe you would very much like him. The hospital is 'Darkly Medical Practice and Hospital.' The only problem is the hospital is located in England," she informed him. She leaned against the counter smiling like there was no tomorrow. "And I would have to leave as soon as possible. They expect the baby might come early, and they want me to be familiar with my surroundings since I'm not used to it."

"I thought about that place, but I didn't think you would go for the idea," he said. Manson was a good friend of his and discussed their situation with him before. He was afraid to bring the idea to her because of her resentment to dark art practices. Gellert was very surprised that Cass was willing to go there. He remembered her long winded speeches about having a natural childbirth without any magical influences. He sighed knowing she was willing to comprise her virtues in order for him to be there with her. "He's an excellent doctor. I promise you I will not run into any problems about not being there," he assured her. A small smile left his lips hoping she would be happy with the decision.

The couple looked much happier, smiling despite everything going on in their lives. Cassandra hobbled very slowly over to her husband. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head. She whispered, "Gellert, if I have a boy, we know he will be named after you; however, I don't know to name the baby if I have a girl."

Gellert looked up at her with a questionable eye knowing he had a solution. "If it's a girl, I will let you decide on a name. Whatever you choose, I think I have the heart to eventually accept her," he replied smiling gleefully. His hand rose and caressed her arm that was still located around his head. He hoped she wouldn't take the joke seriously and know the tone of his voice was of a joking kind. He, of course, would not care what his daughter could be named. He knew what names Cassie already picked out from a previously discussion.

Cassandra knew he was merely joking at his last statement. She moved her head down lower brushing her lips with his. A smile erupted on her face after the kiss. "I knew you would eventually come around in the case we had a girl," she whispered into his ear. She leaned back in for another kiss before Gellert jerked up.

"Sorry honey, I have to leave. I've stayed here too long," he told her after breaking the kiss. He sighed rising to his feet. His hand interlocked with hers while he looked into to her eyes. "I promise I will be there when you are in labor. No matter what I'm in the middle of, I will be there." He smiled bring her closer to him for a hug. He knew he would see her very soon, but not entirely sure when their next encounter would take place.

"I believe your promise. Just please don't leave me alone with them. That's all I'm asking of you," she said to him while they hugged. She closed her eyes. This felt perfect to her; this is why she married Gellert Grindelwald. Feeling him let go of her caused her pain. "I will see you soon, Gellert."

He smiled at her shining his pearly white smile at her. "As will I my darling. I will have everything arrange for your arrival tomorrow," he said back to her. He brought her hand up to his face and kissed it ever so softly. Gellert winked at her, and he apparated away from the house.

Cassandra felt warm liquid falling from her face. She hadn't realized she was crying when he winked at her. She wiped her face with hands and shook her head. "Why did I have to fall for him? He's no good for me, but yet here am I wanting him to stay with me," she thought to herself. She shook her head and headed for her room. She was going to need to pack at least two week supply of clothes and some baby clothing. She smiled just thinking about the possibility she could have a girl.

* * *

"Cassandra? Mrs. Grindelwald? Are you still with us?" asked Doctor Manson as he tried to wake the passed out mother. She heard him quite well, but needed to rest. She felt relieved of the pain she previously felt, but she was exhausted from everything she had been through. She stirred a little, slowly opening both her eyes. Her eye sight was blurry until her eyes adjusted to the light around her. She was still in the hospital which was a good sign for her.

"Is the baby ok?" she quickly asked him. Her face was worn with wariness, and her only concern at the moment was the health of her newly born child. Her eyes darted left to right and back again. She saw no sign of an infant in the room. Her mind darted from one concern to another wondering what could have happened to her child. Surely, she wasn't out long. "Where is my child? Is he or she ok? Please, tell me. TELL ME?" she hastily spoke to him. She took a few quick breaths, and she began to feel her eyes swell up.

"Your daughter is in healthy condition. She is in the nursery resting. You may see her once you have recovered," he calmly spoke to her. He smiled, and patted the top on her head reassuring everything was ok. "The only thing I need is to know what you plan to call her. I do believe you would not want to call your daughter 'Baby' for the rest of her life," he joked with her.

Cassandra smiled and chuckled a little bit. She felt her frail body relax knowing her daughter was healthy and doing well. Now she had to decide on a name. She already had a middle named picked out, but she was at a lost for first name. She had narrowed her list of ten down to four names: Amethyst, Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire. Cassandra could not help if she liked the precious gemstones as names. She thought each stone represented a specific power, and she knew her daughter would have to be named after one of the gems. "Sapphire Rose Grindelwald will be her name," she weakly said to the doctor. "Is Gellert here?" she asked him. She gave a faint smile and then passed out before he could answer.

"Miss Kensington, please inform the nursery that the Grindelwald baby will be named Sapphire Rose. Please also include his wife is currently in remission from the healing potion dose that was given after the baby was born," Doctor Manson said. The young assistant nodded her head and headed to the nursery. He interlaced his fingers in his hands and sinister smile broke out across his face. He walked out of the Cassandra's room and waltz into his office. "Ah, Mr. Grindelwald, it was so nice of you to finally join us. I have an inkling you would be here. I believe you have heard of the arrival of you newly born daughter is here," Manson said to his newly arrived guest.

"Yes Manson. I was disappointed that the child was not a son, but I do believe I have great plans for this little one," he stated back to his follower. His minded ran through the different possibilities of his daughter's future. All he was concerned about was the power his daughter now had. His menacing smile could not be wiped off his cruel face. He was thrilled he finally had an heir to him. Now, he just had to find a way to keep his plan a secret from his wife. Before he began to get wrapped up in his future plans, a small thought crossed his mind. "What did my wife decide to name my child?" he asked Manson.

"She thought the name Sapphire Rose suited well with Grindelwald. The name does sound powerful, if I may add so myself sir," Manson docilely replied. Manson closed the door and made sure to lock it. He glanced back over at his master eyeing him carefully looking for some sign. He was unsure what Grindelwald's next move was since the baby was born before expected. "Master?" he finally spoke to him after a few silent moments. "Is your original plan still in effect, or have you created a new one?"

"Yes Manson. The plan will continue though it will be put on hold at this current moment in time. I believe she needs to be kept alive for a little longer, but I assure you the time will eventually come when your assistance will be needed," Grindelwald replied to his commander. He sat down in Manson's desk chair quite comfortably evaluating the current situation they were now faced with. He could kill her now, but who would raise the child? He was in no position to raise an infant with the ministry hot on his tail. No, he had to wait until the child was old enough to understand.

"Manson, I will be leaving. Tell my wife I was here momentarily but had to run off due to a prevailing issue. As well, please continue the assignment I gave you," Grindelwald spoke to him. He nodded only once before apparating away from the hospital.

* * *

"You planned this all along didn't you Gellert," a frustrated Cassandra yelled at her husband. She couldn't believe she could let this happen. "After everything I did for you. After everything you put me through, you decide that my life is of no importance to you?" She shook her head not believing what she just heard from her husband. She paced back and forth in the living room feeling her tears slowly fall down her face. Nothing else crossed her mind other than the word why.

"It is for the better good Cassandra and you should be thanking me. When you gave birth to Sapphire, I planned on killing you there; however, I knew she could not grow up being raised by my men. Therefore, I decided to spare your life for the time being," Gellert hissed back at her. He had his wand pointed in her direction following her every move. As soon as she took action against him, he was prepared.

"It doesn't matter. I trusted you with everything. I took a risk marrying you because I thought you loved me. I should have listened to my parents because then I wouldn't have put my life or our child in danger," she said back to him. Her hand raked through her hair trying to come up with a proposition she could make with him. Not only was she pleading for her life, but she was pleading for the life of her daughter. A path with no remorse is not what she wanted for Sapphire to follow. She turned and faced him looking straight into his cool green eyes. She would not break contact with them until he gave her a legitimate reason to kill her.

Grindelwald took her gaze with a wicked smile. There could be no possible way Cassandra can bargaining her way out of death this time. He gave his daughter a sleeping potion before she went to bed. He knew she would not be up for another couple of hours. What had to be done must be done. "Do you believe I will take pity on you because you were the mother of my daughter? I have little patience for this type of display as you should know," he answered her.

"I'm not asking for pity, Gellert. I just want to know what I was to you. If you ever did love me, or if you even cared about me. I want a valid reason for your decision to kill me," she responded as boldly as she could. Considering the ball was in his court, she was trying to make an effort for an agreement between the two of them. She had a gut feeling he was not going to go for her offer.

"Love? I'm not going to answer that question my dear. All I needed you for was an heir, and by golly you were willing to give me one. I appreciated your gesture very much," he said calmly. He smirked at her knowing the time had come for his wife to be finished. "Avada…," were the only words that left Gellert Grindelwald lips.

* * *

Little Sapphire stirred awake from the commotion happening in the living room. She rubbed her eyes knowing it was still too early for her to wake up. It upset her greatly hearing her parents constantly bicker with each other. She felt their battles with each other were because of her, though her mother reminded her it was not her fault. Still, she knew she couldn't fall back asleep. Rather than stay in the safety of her room, she decided to venture down into the battle zone.

In her pink night dress, Sapphire held her teddy bear close to her as she slowly descended down the steps of her house. Her clear blue eyes followed the pathway the light created. She knew she would be in trouble for being up at this hour during the night, but she didn't care. She just wanted her mother and father to be a happy family like they promised her last week.

She crept through the kitchen and pressed her head against the door that lead to the living room. Her mother's words sounded more like sobs than anything. She quietly began to cry knowing something was causing her mother pain. The tears fell slowly down her face. She couldn't take the pain she was feeling inside of her. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open saying, "Daddy? Mommy? Why are you fighting?"

* * *

Grindelwald's face abruptly turned facing his young heiress. He studied her facial features seeing her eyes were very worn out. He knew he didn't give her enough dose of the sleeping potion. He could not finish the unforgivable cruse he was about to inflict upon her mother. He lowered his wand and picked up the tired looking girl. "We were merely having a heated discussion about where you should stay when we both leave," he simply answered the child. He glanced at his wife seeing her collapse on the ground. He saw the tears streaming down on his daughter's face and well as his wife's face. How was he going to explain this more to his heiress?

"Daddy, why is Mommy crying?" Sapphire asked her father. She knew her mother cried sometimes whenever they were involved in an altercation, but she never saw her mother this upset before. She looked up at her father hoping to find an answer in his face like she usually did when he couldn't find the words to tell her. She hugged him closely trying to wipe her tears away with his shirt.

"Gellert please let me have one more day with her. Please see it as a good-bye," Cassandra coughed to him while before he could speak to Sapphire. Cassandra knew he had to agree to this. Their daughter was now in the presence of their argument, and she knew Gellert did have a soft spot for the child. He had to agree to it for the happiness of the child.

"She's upset because she can never see you again, but I agree you can spend the whole day together tomorrow," he replied to both the girls. His hand caressed the chin of the little girl and gave her a genuine smile. He began to rock the child back and forth gently hoping to guide her back to sleep.

"But why can't Mommy never see me again," she politely asked her father. She sniffled a little bit once she stopped crying. She didn't understand why her mother had to leave. They promised her they were going to live together forever. She wanted to be the princess that lived happily ever after like in the muggle stories her mother told her before she fell asleep. Sapphire looked into her father's eyes hoping he would change his mind about banishing her mother away. All she saw was that his decision was made.

"It is for your own safety, Sapph. Can you understand this darling?" he spoke to his child. Though he knew his statement was false, he had the control of the situation. Anything he would say to his heiress would be final. He was grateful for his wife for teaching their daughter his word was final. He gingerly brushed the rest of her tears away with one of hands. He kissed the top of her head watching her eyes struggle to stay open.

"Yes Daddy," she weakly spoke to him before surrendering to sleep.

"Cassandra, you will have all of tomorrow to spend with Sapphire. After she is taken to my headquarters, you will be disposed. Nothing else will change my mind," he spoke sternly to his wife. He turned away not wanting to see his wife for the rest of the evening. He slowly walked upstairs to Sapphire's room, and he placed the child beneath the covers of her bed. Grindelwald stroked the top of the child's head before leaving the room.

* * *

"Albus please, you must have me. I cannot have my daughter become the heiress to the Dark. I know you and Gellert were close friends at one point in your lives, and I have faith you understand why I'm here," pleaded Cassandra with the Hogwarts' transfiguration teacher. Cassandra apparated herself and Sapphire to Hogsmeade as soon as Gellert gave her permission to leave the house. As long as she was still breathing, she was going to fight to keep her daughter out of the Dark forces.

"Cassandra, what specifically are you asking me to do? I cannot hold the child here and put the rest of the students at risk of an attack," Albus Dumbledore explained to the wary mother. He knew of only one way to have the child stay out of the clutches of Gellert Grindelwald but Cassandra must suggest it first. His twinkling crystal eyes glanced at the confused girl looking around his office. He smiled at her hoping the girl would feel less anxious.

"Yes, I know. I thought this through vigorously sir, but isn't there any spell that could solve this problem?" she asked her old friend. She was running out of time, and she knew Grindelwald might now catch a drift of her plot. She placed Sapphire down on the ground as her arms began to hurt. Cassandra paced back and forth in Albus' office. "There just has to be something out there we can use to ensure the safety of Sapphire," she spoke back to him.

Sapphire was pleased to be able to walk again. She smiled and walked around the classroom peering at the different pictures and emblems that made up the wall. She saw Dumbledore smile at her, and she couldn't help but not smile back. He had this warming sensation vibrating off his personality which made being in a room with a stranger more comforting for her.

"There is one thing that might have come across your mind Cassandra," replied Dumbledore in the calmest of tones. "The spell, however, is Dark magic, but the effects of the spell will not affect young Sapphire in any way." He curtly nodded his head and pulled out an old ragged book from his desk. He flipped through the pages looking for the correct section. "Ah, here we are, Time Travel. A tricky little spell, but I assume you are aware what this spell is," Dumbledore spoke to Cassandra.

Cassandra simply nodded her head and turned her attention over to her wandering daughter. Her eyes swelled up again and glanced back over to her old friend. "Tristan's Theory of Time Travel. Yes, I believe I came upon the spell back a couple of years ago. The only concern I have is when she returns to her time," she replied to him. Her eyes couldn't hide her anxiety she was feeling. If the spell was casted correctly, Sapphire would be safe until she becomes of age when she feels ready to return to her natural time. Since she is so young, she will not remember any events of her childhood until she is told about the spell. Over time, Sapphire's memories will slowly come back to her in very vivid dreams.

"I assume you have the letter neatly written out for her new guardians as well as her new identity," Dumbledore expressed to the stressed woman. He knew the importance of a new identity needed for someone traveling into the future. He slowly rose from his desk and walked over to the young child. He reached for her hand and brought her back over to her mother. It was easier if the child was near her mother when Cassandra decided to explain what was happening to her.

"Sapphire Rose, I have to send you to the future. You are not safe with your father around during this time. I know you do not understand the issue at this moment, but you have to trust us for this," Cassandra explained to her daughter. She brought Sapphire close to her trying to sketch a memory of her daughter in her mind. "You have to listen closely to these instructions. Once you arrive in the future, you probably won't remember who you are, where you're from, and even any of us. Secondly, when you arrive, your guardians will explain exactly who you are supposed to be. Once you reach a certain age, you will be told the truth about yourself. Of course, you won't believe it at first but your memories of me, you father, and what I've done will slowly come back to you in dreams," Cassandra gasping told her. "You won't remember any of this when you get to the future, but your guardians will remember." She did not know if Sapph could understand this information because it was a lot to take in.

Cassandra handed the white envelope to Sapph and said to her, "This letter is to be given to the first adult you see if you remember. It has your information and why you were sent to the future." She smiled affectionately at her daughter. She drew a circle with her wand and lead Sapphire into it. She couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. She knew she had to be strong in front of Sapphire, but she couldn't keep it together.

"Sapph, please know this is for your own good. Whatever happens to me or you, please remember I love you with all my heart and that will never change. Stay in the circle because that's where the spell will be casted upon," Cassandra spoke frantically to her daughter. She embraced Sapphire for the last time shearing tears left and right. She broke the hug and backed away from her daughter. She weakly smiled toward hoping it would help the child's fears subdue partially. "Just be brave my young one. Albus are you ready?" she spoke to him.

Both adults nodded their heads. They both looked at Sapphire, who looked frighten, in front of them trying to suppress the need to comfort her. Albus raised his wand first signally to Cassandra the time was now. She slowly raised her wand smiling at her daughter knowing this would be the last time she would see her. At the same time, they both spoke, "Tempus itum." Blue sparks were emitted from both wands heading straight toward Sapphire. Sapphire screamed not knowing how the spell would fall on her.

She felt a whirling sensation overcome her as she felt like she was flying. Before she could breathe or even enjoy the ride, she dropped her into a house. Unsure of where she was or even who she was, she poked her head out of the place where she landed. She did not recognize the building or anything else in the room. She slowly rose to her feet brushing the dust and debris off of her. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her rapidly. Panicking not knowing where to hide, she stood in the same place. An older looking woman was the first to arrive looking bewilder.

"Oh my goodness gracious child, how did you end up here?" asked the women.

The young girl just shrugged her shoulders not remembering what exactly happened and why she was clutching onto a white envelope. The older woman noticed it and asked the young child, "May I take a look at what you are holding? If it has information about yourself and you cannot read, I might be able to help." The old woman smile and then said, "I won't hurt you. I just want to make sure you are all right and if there is anything I can assist you with" The little girl walked over slowly to her releasing the envelope over. The older women broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out the written parchment. It took about five minutes for the older woman to fully understand the content of the letter.

She sighed saying to the young child, "Albus must have thought you were a special exception to the rules. I believe I'm your new guardian Ruby Aldridge. My name is Ms. Evelyn Edwards and I'm please to introduce you to the Salem Academy of Wizarding." Evelyn smiled at the newly created Ruby.

Ruby looked about Evelyn quizzically and then said, "If I'm Ruby, how comes I don't remember who I am."

"Because, this letter explains it all," Evelyn informed her.

* * *

**AN:** I'm sorry if it sounds confusing at some parts. This is just the background to the story and was meant to establish what is happening. I know it jumps around, but I only needed to include the important information. Oh, I was about half way writing this and remembered I didn't include a character description. I pictured Cassandra as Keira Knightley, Gellert Grindelwald as Michael Fassbender, young Sapphire as Ryan Newman (Cindy from Zoom) and older Sapphire as Emma Roberts.

I hope it is assumed that Cassandra was killed by Grindelwald because of her actions. Also, Sapphire is now in the United States attending the Salem Academy of Wizarding as Ruby Aldridge, and she is living somewhere around the time of the Golden Trio. I'm still trying to work out a few things in my next drafts, but they will be included in the story briefly along the line. Suggestions are always welcomed as well as interesting character names =)


	2. Mirror You've Always Told Me Who I Am

AN: Well, this chapter is going to be similar to the first in a way. It is going to show Sapphire/ Ruby education through the Salem Academy of Wizarding as well as the life she left behind. It jumps around so please bear with me. Right now, I have ideas of what I want to happen, but I need different events to get the characters from point A to Point B.

A special thanks to The Yoshinator because this person is the one who got me to write again. I never thought someone would be wanting to read my story and want to know what exactly is going to happen to Sapphire/Ruby. Also, he/she was the only review from my first chapter =]

As always, read and review, suggestions, and feedback. You the reviewers make the stories on here as well PhoenixEcho93=)

_You've got 'em going _

_And you're careful not to show it _

_Sometimes you even fool yourself a bit _

_It's like magic _

_But it's always been a smoke and mirrors game _

_Anyone would do the same_

_Goyte "Smoke and Mirrors"_

* * *

It's the year 1993. Ruby is starting her wizarding training at the Salem Academy of Wizarding (SAW). She has been living in the school for the past five years of her life. Though she is officially starting her wizarding lessons, she has been practicing magic with her wand with her guardian Evelyn. She had her father's talent of the wand magic and her mother's knowledge of potions, thought unknown to her. For Ruby, she didn't know her true identity. Whenever someone asked about her parents, she reiterated the information Evelyn told her when she first appeared at SAW.

'_My father abandoned my mother when she was pregnant with me. He was from England while she was from here. Since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was on a rampage in Europe and his family was in danger, he returned to his homeland to protect what was left. He died about two months before I was born. My mother, on the other hand, became sick when I was three. She left the wizarding world after I was born and muggle doctors diagnosed her with cancer. Not wanting magical treatment, she lived out her life taking care of me. On her death bed, she erased my memory and sent me here to live with Ms. Edwards.'_

Whenever any of them mention their mother or father, she had a small pit form in her stomach. If only she could remember what her mother was like or even what her father looked like. Whenever she tried to picture them, all she saw were their bodies and blurred out faces. She asked Evelyn if they gave her picture for her or even if she could find them. There were no pictures and no information on any Aldridge in the record books SAW had and her research would always come up with dead ends.

Her background knowledge of the arts helped her succeed greatly through her studies. After one semester with the first years, she was forced to move up a grade level because her magic was too advanced for her fellow classmates. Ruby did not mind the change. This gave her more competition to become a better witch. She welcomed the challenge with open arms and it gave her a chance to embarrass the older students that a small witch of her age could be more knowledgeable than them. It also speeds up her process for moving on in her studies. By the end of her first official year, she would be starting her "Third Year" studies as a Second Year student.

Summer came and Ruby spent all her time locked up in her room reading the different magic books from Herbology to The Ancient History of Magic. She came across an entry that surprised her:

Sapphire Rose Grindelwald

Born: 8 January 1928

Death: Unknown

Whereabouts: Unknown

What is known: Disappeared when six years old. Daughter of Gellert Grindelwald and the late Cassandra Moraru, whom died in 1934, Sapphire disappearance has been a mystery.

Presumed: Dead

There was something about the name, Sapphire Rose Grindelwald, which drew her to it. It was like she knew information about the child but couldn't place her finger on it. She lingered on the name a little while looking it up various magic books, but she couldn't come across any more information. It was like the child just vanished from civilization. This Sapphire Rose Grindelwald could be her summer research project for her History of Magic class. Of course, she had to get the topic approved by Evelyn, but that can wait. Ruby would ask Evelyn later at dinner, which gave her enough time in case something else piqued her interest. In the meantime, she was still bored.

'_Maybe I'll make a potion to the pass the day away. I'm not breaking any of Evelyn's rules. Plus, it will give me practice to potion making for the fall,' _She smiled to herself and glided out her room heading for the grounds. Ruby wasn't exactly sure what type of potion she was in the mood to make, but she thought maybe today she would take a stab at the infamous potion, Amortentia._'I could always use a little more love in my life' _she chuckled to herself.

Measuring out all the proper ingredients and following her Advanced Potion Making Book instructions, her love potion was on its way for completion. Seeing the pearl liquid in her cauldron and steam slowly rising from it, she knew she completed. She wasn't sure how potent it was or even if she did create an accurate Amortentia. Shrugging her shoulders, she poured a little bit into test tube bottles and dumped the rest of it down the drain.

* * *

Later that evening at dinner, which was pollo con arroz y guisantes, her least favorite, Ruby decided to bring up her research topic to Evelyn. She hadn't come across anything else that interested her and it was now or never. Evelyn placed the chicken over the rice-pea medley and handed Ruby the plate. She sighed and wrinkled her nose at the food. "Wasn't there anything else to eat?" she asked her god-mother.

Evelyn shook her head saying, "Yes, but if you want to make dinner, by all means go ahead." She smiled at Ruby and chuckled a little.

"I'd rather not," she quietly replied. Ruby pushed her rice around with her spoon debating if she should ask at this moment or wait a little longer into dinner. _'Well, I'm certainly not going to eat all of this so it's now or never,' _she thought to herself. "Uh, Evelyn," she began. "For your History of Magic class, we have to do a research project or topic, which has to be approved by you." Ruby gulped swallowing salvia. She bit on her lower lip and shifted her eyes away not to look at Evelyn.

"Continue child. If it is about your parents, I will have to reject the topic," Evelyn calmly replied. She took a bit of her chicken and chewed it slowly.

"It's not that. I came across of a Miss Sapphire Grindelwald in The Ancient History of Magic and was wondering if I could research into her. Like what happened and what caused her disappearance," she said to her. As each word left her lips, her voice got softer and softer.

Evelyn nearly choked on her chicken when she heard Ruby's proposed topic. She coughed a little to make sure the piece make it safely down her throat. _'How could she of all people be intrigued by Sapphire? Maybe her subconscious is trying to give her signs that she isn't who she believes she is' _she thought to herself. "Absolutely not!" she stuttered. Evelyn sighed and took a small sip of her wine. "Her disappearance is a very touchy subject and needs high level clearance by the International Ministry Counsel. This process takes months and by the time you are cleared, summer will more than likely be over," Evelyn explained to her.

Looking defeated, Ruby slide further into her chair and thought, _'This is by far the worst dinner ever.' _ "I guess I can research how our wizarding families were almost exposed by the Salem Witch Trials. At least it is connecting the class back to our roots," Ruby proposed. She really wanted to do some research into Sapphire Grindelwald but it wasn't worth ending up in Azkaban for meddling in a highly classified person. _'Maybe that's why there isn't much information about her.' _"Sorry that I mentioned it as a research topic. It looked interesting, that's all," she said to Evelyn.

"It's all right Rubes. How were you supposed to know. As for your new topic, there are plently of books in the library, especially Diaries of the Salem and How Muggles First Reacted to Magic, for your topic."

* * *

It is the beginning of January in the year 1995 and the SAW students are on Christmas break. They will be returning in a week time, but Ruby kept herself busy all break. She attempt to experiment with different spell combinations. She wants to create a spell that can retrieve block memories. Evelyn explained to her that the spell casted on her at the tendered age of six was no ordinary obliviate charm. It was very dangerous and dark spell that only a few powerful witches and wizards could perform. "So if it was say a powerful witch or wizard, is it possible that my mother was a powerful witch and didn't want me to remember her. Of maybe she is alive somewhere and the information that she wrote to you was a lie. If it's a lie, maybe she didn't want me anymore and decided instead of killing a child, obliviating her entire childhood would be the best option," Ruby said to Evelyn in a sarcastic and melodramatic tone.

Evelyn slowly shook her head saying, "The information provided to me was only to tell you of what your mother wanted me to share. In the letter she specially stated that when I felt you were ready to know more information about her, I would tell you. If you are persistent in this matter, I will not tell you until you turn seventeen." Though Evelyn wanted to tell her adopted daughter the truth, Ruby was still stubborn and acted more in childish ways rather than a young adult. "Say, if you can wait until the end of term and have proven yourself to my standards that you are maturing, I will tell you the truth," Evelyn said to her proposing a deal.

Ruby just wanted to know who she was and why Evelyn was so reluctant to allow her to research into her past. The only other time Evelyn didn't allow her to anything was when she wanted to research into the disappearance of Sapphire Rose Grindelwald. Not happy with her defeat, she huffed and stomped back to her room and flopped onto her bed. Ruby was not satisfied with this result. But she had to admit, the deal was too good not to pass up on. Sighing, she returned down to the parlor room to where she left Evelyn who was enjoying her afternoon tea. "Fine! You have yourself a deal. I will do my best to act in a proper etiquette," she grumpily mumbled to her guardian.

Evelyn smiled and patted the seat next to her on the couch beckoning for her to sigh. Ruby sighed and sat down in her familiar spot on the couch. "Waiting patiently is the best way to prove your growth as a young lady, which I know 'sucks' for you," Evelyn warmly told her as a gentle smile appeared on her face. Ruby snorted a little knowing part of herself was finally rubbing off on Evelyn. Though she had known Evelyn as her only parental unit, she still could never call her mom. Evelyn was Evelyn and nothing else could change it.

"You know, I always thought of you as a Godmother Evelyn. I could never picture you as my mother, but I always pictured you in my life," Ruby replied to her after a few silent minutes. These four months she knew would not come fast enough.

After everyone graduated from SAW and summer was underway, Evelyn knew it was time to live up to her agreement with Ruby. She is reluctant to start the memory process on Ruby, but it has to be done. It can take anywhere from six months to three years for her memory to fully return. Though she was only six years old when she came to this time period, Ruby had gone through what many twenty and thirty year old witches and wizards were facing all their lives. Though the spell would gradually return her childhood to Ruby, Evelyn was glad that the spell allowed Ruby to remember her time here.

A glass of white wine sat at her desk, toying with her. She wetted her lips as she dug through her desk drawer's content looking for the letter. She hadn't touched it in years since Ruby arrived at her institute. Though it's been a long time, she still remembered every single word on the parchment, which explained who Ruby really is and why she needs to be protected. Only four people knew where Sapphire is: Sapphire (who's memory is sealed away in Ruby's mind), Cassandra (who died apparently the same day Sapphire was sent to SAW), Dumbledore (he was the one who casted the spell), and herself. She sighed as she pulled the faded envelope out from its hiding place.

Evelyn had carried this secret for years. It was a sin lying to Ruby's face about her true identity, her past life, and especially how her current situation is a lie. She saw some water droplets form on a few scrap of papers on her desk. She hadn't realized she was crying. Sniffling a little and drying her tears with a tissue, she grabbed the glass and downed the wine. "This is not going to be an easy task," she whispered.

* * *

The following morning Evelyn made Ruby's favorite breakfast: A three egg omelet with bacon, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, rye toast with butter and strawberry jelly, and a bowl of baked oatmeal with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt. _'Okay, Ruby knows something is up when out of the blue I make her breakfast of champions. At least she will have some inkling earth shattering news is coming to her' _she thought to herself. She heard heavy footsteps slowly descending on the grand foyer stairs knowing Ruby must have woken.

"Good morning sunshine. I made all your favorites this morning," a cheerful Evelyn said to Ruby.

Ruby just rolled her eyes and slumped into the chair at the island in the kitchen. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Clearly, she was up too early for her to function. "Thanks Ev. Everything smells delicious," Ruby mumbled along with some other words Evelyn couldn't make out. Ruby dropped her head onto the table surface, her arms cushioning her head.

Smiling, Evelyn platted all the food and placed it beside her head. She also poured a glass of strawberry-banana smoothie and set it just in front of her. Ruby turned her head to the side finally realizing the food was ready. Licking her lips, she lifted her head and began to chow down on her breakfast.

'_Well that didn't take very long,' _Evelyn thought to herself. She seated herself next to Ruby and contemplated how she was going to break the news to her god-daughter. Taking a deep breath, Evelyn calmly spoke to Ruby interrupting her breakfast, "Ruby, I do have some news to tell you." She paused to see if Ruby stopped eating, which she did. "I think it's time I told you the truth…."

* * *

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME WHO I WAS ALL THESE YEARS?" she screamed at Evelyn. Why was she mad at her? Evelyn did explain to her that it had to be kept a secret. That's the way the spell worked. Ruby paced back and forth across the wooden kitchen floor shaking her head not fully absorbing what was happening at this moment in time. "You saw the sadness in my eyes whenever some kid would brag about their new toy they got from Mummy and Daddy. And even when you shot down my interest in looking for more information about my parents," she spoke softly.

Ruby sniffled feeling the warm liquid stream down her face. Then came her hysteria of tears and sobs. She collapsed on the floor bringing her knees to her chest and rocked herself back and forth. She knew she was being a tab bit over dramatic, but she knew she had every right. This morning she woke up as Ruby Aldridge, orphan girl. Now sits Sapphire Rose Grindelwald, a time traveler daughter of one of the darkest wizards of all time. _'It's information like this that causes mental and emotional breakdown of people'_ she thought to herself.

"Hon, I'm so sorry. I would have told you so much sooner, but I was under strict orders from Dumbledore that I will not tell you until I felt it was necessary," Evelyn explained to her. Ruby just didn't want to hear more excuses and more lies. She now knows her whole life has been a complete lie: Lies spewing left and right from Evelyn and herself. She wanted to get back at Evelyn to somehow make herself feel better. The silent treatment came across her head. _'Might as well try it. It has worked before,' _she suggested to herself.

Evelyn continued to ramble pleading her case. "This is the way the spell works. Once I cast the remembering charm, you have three years to return to your correct year." Ruby rolled her eyes and simply acted like she was ignoring her god-mother, thought she was intently listening. "If you don't return you either die or you past life will simply not exist causing a paradox where you could be stuck in limbo for the rest of your life. The choice is yours to make Rubes," a sighing Evelyn. Ruby watched her god-mother leave the kitchen. She didn't mean to emotionally hurt her, but what exactly was she supposed to do. Run over to her, hug her saying something along the lines that "It's ok. Ninety-five percent of the words that left your lips all my life were lies"

After a few minutes passed since Evelyn had left. Ruby thought long and hard of how she would approach her god-mother. Evelyn did say the spell needs to be performed rather soon since the longer she remained in this timeline, the less likely she would be able to return to her correct time (and possibly cause a collapse in the time-space conundrum). Sighing, she finally rose to her feet and marched out of the kitchen into the living room. There, Ruby found Evelyn, glass in hand, sitting on the couch holding a picture frame. "Our family," Evelyn spoke softly as Ruby took a seat on the couch next to her god-mother. Both of them watched the picture moved showing Ruby's thirteenth birthday party.

"Mmhmm," Ruby hummed to her. She took a quick glance at Evelyn noticing the dried tears on her face. Evelyn took a swig of her wine and before she could say anything, Ruby interrupted saying, "It needs to be down today, erm NOW."

A flash of surprise arose on Evelyn's face as she set her wine glass on the coffee table. Readjusting herself, Evelyn pulled out her wand. "Are you ready child?" she spoke softly and calmly. Ruby nodded her head. She stood up and relaxed as best as she could. "Good, I know it doesn't help when I say relax, but try your best. I'm not sure if this spell will inflict pain on you," Evelyn spoke again.

"Just get it over with. Before I change my mind again," an impatient Ruby said.

Evelyn rose to her feet as well and began humming some old Latin chants. She circled around Ruby now mumbling some old dark magic. Ruby closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. _'Well, you've waited your whole life to find out who you are and you are about' _she thought to herself. She felt wind blow across her body as the chanting started to become louder and louder.

"REVERTI QUOD AMISSUM RESTITUERE CAPTA PRAETERITIS MEMORIA," screamed Evelyn as an electric blue jet streak came out of her wand. It circled around Ruby as the jet of light began to grow until it enclosed her into a blue ball. This is the first time Ruby remembered when the first blue spark hit her, back when she was six when her mother called her Sapphire.

**AN: **Ok, so the phrase "_Reverti quod amissum restituere capta praeteritis memoria_" is supposed to mean "_Return what is lost, restore what was taken, and remember what was past" _I used google translate so it's not always accurate with translation. I do not take Latin so I apologize if it doesn't mean what it's supposed to mean. This chapter actually got split in half because it came to a point where it was almost 7,000 words. I figured, split the chapter in half and add more stuff to better explain how this returning memory works.


	3. I Am A Vagabond

An: Thank you to The Yoshinator for reviewing as always. I promise everything will make sense and hope you will enjoy my minor tweaks to the story.

And thank you for a new story followers I'm Just Slytherin Around and Alpha Bird. It really does mean a lot to me that other people are reading my work.

_So come fly with me, come fly away_

_Weather's wise, it's such a lovely day _

_You just say the words and we'll beat the birds _

_Down to Acapulco Bay _

_So come fly with me, let's fly away_

_Anna Ternheim cover "Come Fly With Me"_

* * *

_Teddy under one arm and her blanket in the other, Sapphire slowly crept out of her bed. She wasn't sure what time it was, but it must have been fairly early since the sun was breaking the horizon rising into the sky. She rubbed her tired crystal blue eyes as she headed for her father's office. He worked so much, but whenever he returned from a work trip at any given time of the day, Sapph would instantly know. If she was sleeping or out in the meadow picking daisies, she would drop everything she was doing to see her father. Though she loved her mother very dearly, Sapphire had this bond to her father that would never change. _

_Licking her dry lips with her tongue, she pushed her father's mahogany wood door open. Her mother and father can open the door in seconds, but since she was still so small and weak, it took all her strength to get the door to budge open. Sapphire always wanted to sneak into her father's office or study quietly and scare him. But by the time she had either door ajar, he would be sitting at his desk smiling. 'Aw daddy, I was trying to scare you,' she said to him in a whining child tone while pouting. _

_Her father chuckled and would always respond, 'Well, I can't help if your spy tactics make more noise than shouting an unforgivable.' _

This was the last dream Ruby had of her past life. Though the dream only happened a few moments before she woke, she felt like she had been sitting up on her bed for hours. She had a dream journal detailing every single dream she had concerning her past life. Though some were inaccurate, the majority outlined her entire life from being born up until she was sent to her future, or for the present of the current time line. "Ugh, talking about time and time traveling is rocket science. It makes sense in our heads and explaining it to some muggles just confuses them," she mumbled to herself. "Well, on the bright side, at least I'm graduating today."

* * *

"Congratulations to The Salem Academy of Wizarding Class of 1996. You are prepared to take on any magical task that you may face in the future…" said Evelyn as she told everyone sitting on SAW's grounds. Ruby just yawned as she glanced around at her fellow graduating class. She was four years younger than them but it never bothered her before. Evelyn continued her grand speech talking about everyone's growth as wizards and witches. She would have cared more and paid attention if she had not heard the speech about fifteen times before today. Ruby had unintentionally memorized part of the speech, so at times, to amuse herself, she would mouth each of Evelyn's words.

Since Ruby completed her studies at The Salem Academy of Wizarding, Evelyn was unsure of what the young girl should do. She wrote to Albus Dumbledore asking for his opinion on the matter and what should be taken into consideration. Evelyn did not expect an answer back the next day, but atlas an owl was waiting for her. The only words that were written on the parchment of paper were: _'A cordial invitation for Miss Ruby Aldridge to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for this coming year ~Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore'_

Evelyn was surprised Dumbledore felt it was necessary for Ruby to attend Hogwarts. She paced back and forth in her room debating what to do. She could tell her tonight of her findings, but figured if would be best if she announced it tomorrow at breakfast. That way, Ruby can ask away all her questions and she could fish out the best answers. She sighed, rubbed her template, and fell onto her bed. _Oh why does the joyous Dumbledore believe the time is now?_

How exactly was she going to tell Ruby it was necessary for the girl to attend classes at Hogwarts for the time being before she would go back to her time. She saw how excited the child got when she informed her she would be graduating at the age of fourteen and will cease her required studies

"My god-daughter, I believe it is in your best interest to enroll at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry because you still have much to learn. I know you might think you are ready to go back, but I think otherwise you shouldn't," Evelyn said to rather sour faced Ruby. Evelyn rolled her eyes at her god-daughter and chuckled. A small smiled emerged on her face waiting for a response from Ruby. Evelyn knew from spending enough time with Ruby that she hated the smile currently lining her face.

"But is it a wise decision. I mean, yes Hogwarts is an unbelievably impressive school to attend, but really? The Dark Lord is rising from the ashes again and is probably still looking for me. If I go, aren't I setting myself up to be ambushed by Death Eaters?" she asked her guardian. It made logical sense for Ruby not to attend, but deep down inside of herself it was the tactical decision. Plus, it made her closer to Albus Dumbledore who will send her back.

"Yes darling, I have put a lot of thought considering all the events at the school, but I feel it right choice for everything."

"Why is it the right decision? I mean, HELLO? I'm the bloody daughter of a famous Dark Wizard who is presumed dead because of an 'undisclosed disappearance.' If I go back, he will find me and do whatever god knows what to make me his ally."

"You have every right to be upset, but I trust Dumbledore's word. He's informed me of the task your father bestowed upon him, but Dumbledore's plan is full proof," replied a frustrated Evelyn. She always wondered why her daughter was always stubborn. She always thought it was her father's genes coming

"Hmmm, and what does this plan consist of? Me prancing around the hallways yelling 'Hey fellow son's and daughter's of Death Eaters! Come and get what your Precious Lord is looking for.' I think I will pass," Ruby sarcastically answered her guardian rolling her eyes. She sighed and sat herself down on the armchair. She ran her fingers through her hair, ruffling it a bit, repeating what Evelyn had just said. Carefully dissecting each word and sentence, Ruby realized there was something Evelyn wasn't telling her. "What exactly is The Dark Lord's mission anyways?" she asked her god-mother raising an eyebrow.

"Ruby please, I was not fond of this decision either but this has to be done at some point in time. I don't think you are ready but Dumbledore believes you are. The only thing we can do is respect his wishes and inform him of our decision." Evelyn said to her. She rubbed her template feeling a headache coming along. "Eh, and I said too much for you to be informed. Please drop the subject and don't let Dumbledore know I mentioned anything. If won't be pleased to know about what I said"

"Fine," Ruby replied after an awkward moment of silence. "I won't tell him that you accidently let slip the Dark Lord has a mission, no details given, that may or may not concern me." She was hoping Evelyn would tell her, but she could tell that Evelyn was sticking to her gun and not telling her. She rolled her eyes showing her disgust for the final decision.

"Thank you dear," Evelyn said.

"I will go under one condition," she said with a sly smile.

"And what might this condition be?" inquired Evelyn. She did not like the look this conversation was heading.

"I don't know. I will let you know why I come up with one," she said with a bursting smile. She winked at her guardian and left the room. Ruby did not want other lecture on 'Proper Conversation Techniques a Young Lady Should Have.'

* * *

_Dear Sapphire,_

_It's been exactly eight years since I've been transported to this place. I'm adjusting better to returning to my proper timeline. Though it is scary leaving the life I grew up living, I don't want to be stuck in limbo for the rest of my life. It's just not fair. I love my life here. Well, when I do go back, I have to deal with him, but I'd rather not think about that now. Well, Evelyn told me today I will be transferred to Hogwarts to finish out my magic training if you would like to call it that. I believe this is a risky move because of the Dark Lord at large once again in the UK. He knows the legend about me, and I believe if I go to Hogwarts he is going to recognize me and capture me. But I really can't speculate anything at this moment in time. _

_I'm a little nervous to attend this fine school. Even though SAW is known for their potions, Hogwarts is known for every single subject. I'm somewhat afraid of the knowledge I'm going to be taught because I'm scared of failing. Of course I'm still only fourteen, most the students will be sixteen soon turning seventeen while I age to fifteen. Evelyn believes I will do fine since I excelled my way through SAW as the youngest graduate ever. She believes starting as a Sixth Year in Hogwarts is at the place in my magic skills. I believe I should be starting as a full Fifth Year student due to my age, but Evelyn thinks it will be 'too easy' for me. The nerve that woman has sometimes, but it is enough for me to love her. I will be taking Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, and Ancient Runes, I will be a full bodied Sixth Year student. I guess the plus sides for attending Hogwarts are skipping their stupid O. and laying my eyes on Mr. Harry Potter ;P. _

_I guess this is all for now, _

_Ruby Rocket_

* * *

'_Wall. Books. Floor. Pillow. Suitcase. Glass. Foot. Hair. Letters. Pictures. Life. Smile. Wand. Visitor. Lamp. Visitor. Clothing. Table. Visitor. Visitor? Who is that standing at my doorframe?'_ the inquisitive Ruby thought to herself. The boy staring back at her with the same expression she was sending back to him must have the same question as her. She slowly rose to her feet keeping eye contact with the stranger in her room. Neither one of them dared to speak as if they were under a jinx hindering them to speak to each other. She took a small step forward toward him reaching her hand out to touch him. She blinked as her vision became blurry as she inched closer to stranger. She had to see if he was real or if it was another vision. Her outstretched hand was mere inches away and finally touched the clothes the boy was wearing. The boy opened his mouth, but all that left his lips was a subtle laugh…

Black. That was all she saw when she woke up. She rubbed her forehead feeling the sweat trickling down her face. "Geez, I have to stop having this bizarre dream," she whispered to herself. The dreams from her past life had stopped a few months ago, but then this dream started immediately after it. She knew it wasn't part of her past since she was her dream consisted of herself now as a teenager. She didn't want to dwell too much on this dream. If it would happen again, she would tell Evelyn or Dumbledore. _'It's best not to dwell on dreams. It's our subconscious trying to convince us of things that we can never truly grasp. Whether it is an allusion to future or some undisclosed desire, only our eyes and mind can truly make sense of what's real and what's made up,' _a small voice in her head told her.

Sighing and not trying to think about the dream anymore, Ruby slowly slide out of bed looking around making sure there wasn't anyone else in the presence of her room. She couldn't see anything in the darkness and closed her eyes again. She had no idea if it was night or day. The only way was to pull the curtains open or turn the lamp on in her room. She decided she would rather be hit with natural light rather than artificial light produced by the lamp. She groped her hands around her bedpost and slowly moved away from it. She felt the satin brush up against her hands and gripped the curtain. With one motion, she ripped the curtains open and light burst through diminishing the darkness around her.

Ruby's eyes of course burned, but she was more interested in what the commotion that was happening outside on the grounds of the Academy. She peered out the window seeing visitors approaching the gates of the school. She raised her eyebrow in suspicion of the guests. Nobody ever visited the school during the summer unless two weeks before the semester started, but the semester was still two months away. Shrugging her shoulders, she quickly threw on some decent clothes and headed down to the main lobby. On her way down, she pulled her hair back in a messy bun not really caring what her appearance of her hair would look in front of the guests.

* * *

"And this is the main foyer of school. It connects every hallway with each other. Now straight through those grandeur doors is the main dining area," she heard Evelyn's echo off the sound of the walls. She knew they would hear her approaching as her footsteps ricocheting off the foyer's open area. She sighed knowing she would come face to face with the visitors as soon as she strode around the corner. Walking as slow as possible, Ruby approached the turn bumping into one of the guests. She bounced off his chest, and she felt a strong arm grip around her waist.

The man spoke before she could say anything. "Ah, now who is this I have caught here? This cannot be the youngest graduate of Salem's history not?" There was a hint of superiority in his voice which was not hard to guess. The man had flowing blond hair and grey shimmering eyes. His facial features showed linage of stress while his eyes showed a hint of emptiness along with composure. His grasped on her waist loosen as he pulled her up. Ruby smiled showing gratitude toward the man.

Before she could respond to his question, Evelyn interrupted saying, "Why yes it is. This is Miss Ruby Aldridge. Ruby, this is Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Malfoy and their son, Draco."

"Nice to meet you all," Ruby replied courteously toward the new folks. "I'm truly sorry for my talent of clumsiness. I'm truly a wreck whenever I've just have woken up." She smiled and nodded her head gradually. She wasn't sure if it was polite to extend her hand to shake because she only saw men ever use that gesture. She thought hugging was something women did, but she still wasn't comfortable with the guests.

"All is well. Nobody was hurt in this matter and everybody is still on their feet. I believe this was a very interesting way of meeting. Miss Evelyn informs us you will be attending Hogwarts this coming semester," Lucius spoke to her. His voice sent shivers down her spine, but she did her best to hide her face she made whenever she felt cold.

"Yes I will. I will be taking Sixth Year classes. Also, I'm pretty pleased I will not be required to take the O.W.L.s which was a relief for me," she replied cordially to him.

"They were a killer last year. Especially when the firecrackers and the dungbombs exploded during the test," an irritable Draco finally spoke. "I thought we were under attack, but it was just some immature students who couldn't handle the proper rules emplaced at a hectic time."

Ruby shifted her eyes over to Draco taking in his physical descriptions. He obviously had all his father's facial features, but there was something different about him. She glanced at Mrs. Malfoy and then back at Draco. He had his mother's eyes and the emotion in them. She grinned slyly at him saying, "And this distraction was a bad thing? I mean if I was in the middle of a test and dungbombs were exploding, I would be celebrating and cheering."

"You wouldn't be if they were aimed in your direction," he quickly spat back at her with spite.

Ruby was taken aback by his quick reply as well as the emotion the words came out of his mouth. She raised her eyebrows up and then back down. She bit her lip a little before thinking of what to say to something like that. "Well, that places things in a different perspective," she replied to him. She smiled sympathetically toward him.

Evelyn looked between the two teenagers feeling the tension in the air and then spoke, "Well Ruby if you don't mind, I have to show them the rest of the school. Maybe you can meet up with us after lunch." Evelyn smiled at her. Her lips showed warmth but her eyes showed a different story.

"Of course, I'm happy to oblige. I will see you all very soon," Ruby spoke in a warming tone. She courtesy a little and set off in the opposite direction toward her room. She had to get to her fire place immediately.

* * *

Though she could floo herself to Dumbledore's office, it was illegal to floo out of the country, at least for the United States. It is perfectly legal to floo messages via the Floo Powder Network if it is going a vast distance. She figured a message crossing an ocean is considered a "vast" distance. She quickly scribbled a note explaining the current situation:

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_The Malfoy's arrived on the school property this morning. I didn't realize they were physically coming to SAW. I was literally shocked, especially bumping into Mr. Malfoy. I know I will be staying with them shortly before the term starts at Hogwarts, but I feel like there is an ulterior motive for this visit. If they were coming, shouldn't have Evelyn told me? Or maybe you told her not to tell me so I would contact you. Oh well. I can't wait to see you. I've been awaiting this introduction for a long time._

_Sincerely,_

_Ruby_

Happy with her note, she placed it in her fireplace just above the dusty embers. She took the floo powder out of her purple floo jar and shouted, "Dumbledore's office!" Ruby threw the dust on top of the letter and a purple flash appeared. The letter was gone and she hoped it arrived safely to Dumbledore. She was mainly concerned that it could have gone to the wrong floo fireplace network. She nervously bit her lower lip and flopped on her bed. She sighed and slowly drifted back to sleep.

Not knowing how long she was asleep, she awoke to a flash of light in her eyes. Slowly opening her eyes, she noticed a parchment of paper resting on the bottom of her fireplace. Leisurely rising to her feet, she walked over, bent over and picked up the letter. It said:

_Ruby,_

_Ms. Edwards was aware of the Malfoy family coming to visit. It is unfortunate she did not inform you of their planned vacation. We know for sure they are on for vacation, but we cannot not for sure if there are other reasons for their visit. We can only suspect._

_Regards,_

_Albus Wulfric Percival Brain Dumbledore_

"Well that didn't help me too much Professor," she mumbled to herself. Scratching her head, she realized to forgot about her lunch date with SAW's guests. Sighing, she pulled her blond wavy hair into a messy bun. She took a quick check in mirror. Ruby decided she looked somewhat presentable for the pure-bloods of supremacy. Quickly slipping into her sandals, she ran into the dining room for lunch.

"I know this is unannounced but is it possible for Miss Aldridge to come in one month to our home instead of two weeks prior to school starting. We feel as a family she would become more comfortable with her transition from American to Britain. It might take more time than anticipated because it varies from one teen to another," Lucius calmly informed Evelyn. Ruby remained quiet like Draco as the adults carried on the conversation. She would only talk if they directed a question at her and she would happy to answer them in little words as possible.

"How do you feel about this Rubes?" asked Evelyn.

Ruby sighed, closed her eyes making sure none of them saw her eyes roll. "I have no objections to the offer," she replied gracious to her. She smiled sincerely and took another spoonful of her soup. She swallowed and then asked, "Are you sure you want me for that amount of time?"

"Well of course child, we would not ask if we weren't certain," spoke Narcissa Malfoy.

"And this gives you some time to adjust to your new sleeping patterns as well as meeting some more of your fellow students," added Lucius.

Ruby turned her attention over to the quiet Draco. She could read his expression like a book. He did not look pleased with her living with him a month prior to school. He didn't do a very good job at hiding this, but maybe he was trying to show his disgust to her. She shrugged her shoulders and asked him, "Do you have problems with me living with you for a month?"

Draco peered up from his soup surprised somebody was including him in the conversation. His face then turned blank and said, "I have no problems with you Miss Ruby. I'm the one who suggested this idea to my parents about your stay."

Ruby could not hide her surprised expression written across her face. She rubbed her lips together to stop her mouth from opening wide. "Why thank Draco and the same to you Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. I very much appreciate your kind gesture," she spoke with eagerness.

"We plan on leaving tomorrow after resting here for the night. Do you believe you can pack with enough time?" Lucius asked her with his airy voice of his.

"Yes, I think I can manage with the amount of time given to me," she replied. With her words being said, Ruby excused herself from the table and hurried to her room. She had a lot of packing ahead of her and needed to use every single second time allowed her.

* * *

1934

Grindelwald paced back and forth in his study. How could that little cow betray him handing his heiress over to his one true enemy: Dumbledore. Everything was in motion, he had her future planned out and now she had to ruin his long fought hours. He assumed karma decided to put its nose in his plans and change everything. He let out a roar and blasted his desk in half. Breathing heavily, he sat down in a spare chair rubbing his hands through his hair. He was unsure what his next move should be. He planned on Sapphire to be his apprentice and for her to attend Hogwarts. He shook his head knowing he would have to search for a new witch of wizard.

A thought then suddenly struck Grindelwald's mind. The spell Dumbledore preformed on his daughter meant she would eventually return to this time. When she would return, what if he had a husband waiting anxiously for her return. His mind now was bursting with a million different ideas and possible outcomes that could strengthen his followers. He rose from his chair yelling to his assistant, Cornwall. "Cornwall, inform the followers there is a change of plans. There will be a meeting tomorrow explaining the new plan," he said to the young lady. He smiled maliciously at her sending her a message.

"Oh Cassandra you thought you could protect your baby girl. As soon as she returns, she will have to follow her destiny set in place by her caring, wicked father," he spoke to himself. With this being said, he apparated away from his hideout. He had an attack that was calling his name. Diagon Alley needed to be redecorated.

**AN: **Sorry for such a long update on this story. I've been busy with work and getting ready to start college/university again. I'm not sure when the next update will happen but it will be worth the wait

As always, review, suggestions, and feedback are welcomed with open arms.


	4. Slow Dancing in Your Arms

AN: Thanks to The Yoshinator for reviewing yet again and for finding a name error in the previous chapter.

Disclaimer: I owe nothing of the Harry Potter trademarks, except for Sapphire/Ruby and the plot though I wish I did

* * *

_I got lost inside a memory_

_When I was young_

_And I almost drowned_

_But I was found_

_It sounds tacky, but I'm hopeful_

_There's a reason_

_That I found the ground_

_And a siren sounds_

_Turin Brakes "Dark on Fire"_

* * *

_Dear Miss Sapphire,_

_I have arrived at Malfoy Manor only three days and yet I find myself already writing to you. The place is huge of course but it is vacant. Sometimes when I'm thinking to myself, I hear my thoughts echo off the elaborate walls. Don't get me wrong, the place is something out of a fairy tale book and what to expect from a pureblood family, but I feel like the black stone intermixed within white stones. I want to go and explore the place, but I'm constantly being watched by house elves as soon as I leave the presence of my room. Very annoying to the end of the earth but they must really not want me to see something or someone here. They don't allow me to explore the basement or lower levels, which sucks because Draco told me there are ghosts in the crypt. I'm just glad I can escape the present and write to you knowing nobody else will be reading this. _

_Well, my room in the house isn't half bad but needs to be redecorated to the present. I do have respect for classic 1700's art and clothing, but it comes to a point when modernization needs to happen and fix this stuffy room. Anyways, Draco hasn't made any more effort in talking to me. A simple nod for my presence and that's it. Lucius, he insists I call him, which makes me feel uncomfortable, is getting irritable because he always asks questions: "What type of course did you excel at in Salem?" "What are your views on the second coming of the war?" I simply answer him with the shortest response: Potions, I choose no sides in the game of war, etc. Narcissa by far is my favorite Malfoy so far just because she just talks about normal stuff like if I have dated anyone or am I looking forward to be going back to school. She seems nice for now._

_So far, people come and go in the manor. All they do is send raised eyebrow looks at me before disappearing into the lower levels of the house. I have met a few of Draco's "friends:" Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Blaise Zabini. Blaise is the only one that talks to me out of their clique. I think he might have a crush or something. I don't know, I was never particularly good at picking up signals, but whatever. It's nice talking to someone who I don't see every waking moment here._

_Well, I cannot wait for next weekend. Narcissa insists on taking Draco and me to Diagon Alley for back to school shopping. Since American wizarding money is not accepted here, she decided she would pay for everything since I'm her guest. I'm not used to people being so kind to me, but I won't pass up a free shopping trip. I'm excited because I hear of the wonders of Diagon Alley back in the states and how magical it is. Narcissa told me they just opened a new joke shop full of cute things and I can't wait to see it._

_Well, I'm off to bed, _

_Ruby Rocket_

* * *

"Now whatever you see you can have it. It is the least we can do since you are our guest," Narcissa informed Ruby. The three hurried along the crowed London street toward the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley.

The three of them remained quiet for most of the trip. Ruby had no idea where they were and looked more around her surroundings than engaging in conversation with Draco or Narcissa. The Britain countryside was a picturesque site; much like her home at SAW. Though it has only been two weeks since she has left, Ruby missed her home terribly. More importantly, she missed her room. It was her safe haven she could go to and escape the rest of the world. At Malfoy Manor, her room felt foreign to her as did the rest of the house.

Lost in her own thoughts, Ruby had to run just to keep with the pace Narcissa and Draco were walking. Out of breath, the three of them arrived at the brick wall behind the Leaky Cauldron. Narcissa tapped the bricks in a pattern and stepped back. Ruby and Draco followed in suit and watched as the arched pathway appeared before them. Glancing to the left and right of her, Narcissa emerged first followed by the two students.

Diagon Alley was nothing like the pictures Ruby saw in books describing the alley as bountiful and cheery. The alley was deserted and gloomy. She looked around with inquisitive eyes looking for some color or even a subtle laugh. The people here hardly looked up and were rushing from place to place. The majority of the stores were boarded up with wood with signs that said "Closed; Out of Business; No Trespassing." Her excitement to finally see Diagon alley left her immediately just looking at this dismal place.

"Please keep up Aldridge. We wouldn't want you to go missing like many people here in Diagon Alley," Draco spoke to her. He shoved her a little and smirked at her. She rolled her eyes at Draco and followed the mother and son into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. The robe store was one of few stores still open. She figured every witch and wizard still need a place to get clothing.

As soon as the three of them were in the store, Madam Malkin, she assumed because she was the only one in the store, appeared before them and greeted them. "Hello Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy, and guest of the Malfoy's. What can I do for all of you today?" she asked her.

Something bright Ruby's eyes and said, "I'll be back. I just want to look around before I try on the school robes," she said to them before disappearing into one of the dress aisles before any of them could protest. She saw the hint of silver sparking just a couple of feet away from her, the something bright. Just around the dress aisle she was staring at a gorgeous diamond encrusted silver evening gown. Ruby was in some trance just looking at the dress, it was the only dress she ever saw that she desired. Of course she had worn others dresses before, but this dress was different. It was as if the dress itself was luring her in to buy it.

"It's pretty isn't it? It would pretty good on you Aldridge," whispered Draco into her ear from behind her. Ruby jumped not hearing Draco sneak up behind her. She turned around to face him to curse him out for sneaking up on her, but she couldn't.

"How would you know it would look good on me?" she asked him. She crossed her arms, raised one of her eyebrows and gave him a small grin.

"Because it is one of the dresses that makes even the ugliest witches in the world look decent. I'll let you decide which one you are," he toyed back at her.

Before she could reply, Draco spoke again as eyes darted around the store as if he was looking for something or someone saying, "Mother wants you to try on some school robes. Apparently we are on a tight schedule and we don't need any little girls running off on their own."

Ruby's jaw dropped open a little bit shocked. Draco never spoke so rudely to her before, but she saw the satisfaction smeared across his face. She tried to get her composure back, but it was difficult for her seeing Draco watch her and wait impatiently for her to move.

She smiled and swiped the dress off the rack saying, "Well, you mother said I could get anything I wanted since I am your guest."

She winked at him and headed toward the front with the silver gown between her arms of the store where Narcissa and Madam Malkin were standing. She heard Draco sigh behind her and his rushed footsteps following behind her.

"Narcissa, I found this dress and I really like it. If you don't want me to have it, I understand because you are the one who will be paying for it," she spoke to Narcissa when she finally reached her. Narcissa glanced down at the gown examining with her eyes carefully. She took the dress from Ruby's arms feeling the material and looked at the price. Her eyes went wide looking at the price, but she smiled toward Ruby.

"I supposed you can have the dress, but you can't have anything else besides your school supplies," Narcissa said to her.

About a thousand jumping beans exploded in Ruby as her face lighted up like a Christmas tree. An enormous smiled erupted on her, but soon her optimistic explosion wore off and said, "Thanks Narcissa. This is the best gift anyone could get me."

"Now since that is settle, Mr. Malfoy and Miss Aldridge, if you follow me, come to the back with me to try on some school robes for fitting," Madam Malkin spoke to two students. "Mrs. Malfoy, my assistant can help you over at the register with the dress."

Ruby and Draco followed the seamstress down the long aisles of dress robes, causal wizarding apparel, and many other accessories for clothing. Madam Malkin plucked a few black robes off one of the racks and said to Ruby, "Here, try these on. The dressing rooms are straight back and just come out when you are ready."

Ruby took the three robes handed to her and managed to make her way back to the dressing rooms without falling. The robes themselves weren't heavy, but the amount of cloth in her hands was enough to make anyone fall over. She closed door behind her and threw on the smallest robe on. It fit mostly around the waist but the sleeves and bottom hung off of her body. She did a quick check in the mirror before heading out for Madam to fit her properly.

"Ah good that was fast. Most young ladies your age take forever to change into a simple robe," Madam Malkin said to her. She motioned for Ruby to step up onto the tailor platform and she did so. Madam Malkin didn't waste any time and began to work on Ruby's robe immediately. A few pins, pricks, and second guesses, Madam Malkin was completed with the fitting.

"It might be a little snug on you after the revisions being made, but that's how it should look on most young ladies," the seamstress spoke to Ruby. She smiled and the black robe vanished from her body. Before she could say anything, Madam Malkin was ushering her off the tailor platform. "Don't worry about going back into the room; I will take care of it later. Right now, Mr. Malfoy needs to be fitted," she informed her.

Ruby smiled and then said, "Thanks for school robes and the dress. They both are great." Madam Malkin just nodded her head curtly and was already beginning Draco's fitting. She walked over to Narcissa while they both waited for Draco to finish.

"Ruby," Narcissa began, "Lucius already picked up Draco's school supplies, which I was not informed on until this morning. Draco and I have a personal errand to run while we are here, which unfortunately you can't come with us. I thought if I give you the money to pick the supplies on your own during the time of our errand. It saves time on our hands."

Ruby nodded her head in agreement. "I understand. How long with this 'errand' of yours take?" she asked her. Her voice emphasized the word errand and elongated the word. She didn't care if she sounded disrespectful, especially after Narcissa said she was to stay close and not wander off. Now Narcissa was pretty much letting Ruby roam freely around unfamiliar terrain.

"I'm not completely sure, but if it takes longer than expected just meet us in front here or Flourish & Blotts."

"All right, sounds good." Narcissa handed her a purse with about twenty galleons inside of it. She smiled at the young witch and turned her attention back to Draco. From what she could hear, Draco's fitting would take longer than hers. He seemed very fidgety when it came to his robes being tailored.

She smiled and headed out the door before bumping into someone. She dropped her purse, but thankfully the bag was clasped shut or the galleons would have spilled everywhere. "Oh! Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," Ruby quickly explained.

"It's all right," said the male voice. She looked up seeing it was Harry Potter. She guesses he laughed at her expression of dazed and awe. She was lost at words to say as she stared at the famous wizard and something was itching at her throat to say something, but it couldn't come at. It must have been awkward for Harry because he was the next person to speak.

"You must not be from around here. Your accent sounds more American than British," spoke the female voice, one of Harry's friends she presumed. Her voice snapped her out of her loopy land and she moved her head around.

"Yeah, I'm visiting friends here. Sorry, I'm just little starstruck. I never met any famous wizards like you Harry," she said to them. "I'm Ruby Aldridge." She smiled at them and moved her hair out of her face.

"Well, you know who I am but these are my friends: Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. It was nice bumping into but we have to get some things from Madam Malkin," he said to her.

"Nice to meet all three of you, and it's no problem. Might take awhile since it looks like Mr. Malfoy might take awhile," she said sarcastically to them. Harry, Ron and Hermione disappeared into the store while Ruby just stood there looking in the store. She shrugged her shoulders and then headed next store to Flourish & Blotts. It was nice having her own time away from the constant care of the Malfoys. She felt independent for the first time in two weeks.

* * *

_**WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT**_

_**YOU-KNOW-WHO?**_

_**YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT**_

_**U-NO-POO—**_

_**THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION**_

_**THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!**_

The sign with flashing yellow letters was enough to make Ruby come into the joke store: Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. She wondered if the owners were related to the Ron Weasley she met a little while ago. It was the only brightly colored store on Diagon Alley that wasn't closed or abandon. She was holding her bag full of books for Hogwarts and she saw no sign of the Malfoys coming back from their 'errand' yet. She sighed pushing the door open to the shop and straightaway laughter filled the air. The place felt warm, comforting compared to the rest of the Alley. Not even seeing everything, she felt happy for the first time since she arrived in Britain.

Ruby didn't know where to start first, but she casually walked around the store. She had to duck a few times because of buzzing objects almost making contact with her head. The store was packed with wizards and witches of all ages running around the place trying out different magical contraptions. Though she was smiling left and right, she felt a little out of place. There were children begging their parents to get them Skiving Snackboxes or Canary Creams. The parents disgusted faces telling their child 'no' or 'maybe next time.' It made her feel sorry for herself that she never got to experience these encounters with her own parents. She sighed knowing it was probably best to forget and just enjoy being in an uplifting store for 'dark times.'

She wondered her way over to the brightly colored pink products. They looked girly enough and she blended in well with the other young witches her age. She picked up a vial with pink liquid swirling around in it.

"Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere," someone spoke behind her. She turned around and had to blink twice making sure there were two different faces staring at her. She assumed the two men were twins and she wasn't going crazy.

"Do they work? I mean this is a joke shop so I want to be sure if I buy it, it's not fake," she said to one who spoke to her.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question-," the first one spoke.

"- and the attractiveness of the girl. It is a part of our WonderWitch line," his twin said.

"That's cool. I might buy it just for a laugh or something."

"If you have any questions, just shout Fred, me, or my brother George and we will be there as soon as possible," Fred said to her.

"We have other customers to attend to, but spread the word around about our WonderWitch line," George added. As quickly as they appeared behind her, they disappeared mixed in with the rest of crowd. She picked up the WonderWitch package, which included the love potion and a ten-second pimple vanisher, and put it back. As much as she wanted to buy the gag gift, it wasn't her money to spend and Narcissa was probably expecting money back.

Ruby made her back to the front of the store and slipped out quickly before a toy air plane would crash into her head. She headed quickly back toward Flourish & Blotts knowing the Malfoys would be back in a matter of time. She only waited for about five minutes before she saw the hurried pace of the Malfoys appear from the far corner of the alley. Narcissa looked exhausted but Draco looked more dazed than ever like he was in a different place other than Diagon Alley.

"We haven't much time or we'll miss the train back," Narcissa spoke to her. They kept walking not really caring if she was following them, only assuming Ruby was behind them.

"Do you need the money back you gave me? I didn't spend all of it," Ruby said to Narcissa.

"Keep it. You need some pocket change anyways, and it shouldn't be much."

Ruby was still confused as to why they were in such a rush to catch the 18:45 (6:45 PM); they still had an hour and half to get to the station. The station was only a few minutes walk away from Diagon Alley. Still, if they had somewhere else to attend to, then she guessed they would be in a rush. Narcissa quickly entered into Gringotts and told them to stay put in the lobby area.

There was an awkward silence between Draco and Ruby as they both watched Narcissa disappear behind the vault door. Before Ruby could look around marveling at Gringotts beauty, Draco pulled her by the arm to a private corner. Only a few inches separate them from face to face contact, Draco spat at her saying, "Why the hell were you talking to Potter outside Madam Malkin's?"

Ruby was bewildered from his rash actions. "I ran into him, made small talk and left. What is it to you?" she declared back to him. She wasn't going to take his sudden actions lightly since he did look irritated.

"You should stay away from that bloke and his posy. They are nothing but trouble, and I hope for your sake you didn't say why you were there."

"Of course not! I'm not an idiot. When Dumbledore said 'you are to remain as a visitor until the school term' I did take it seriously. I'm like the biggest secret, surprise, whatever you want to call it for the school."

"Good," was all he said as he released his grip on her. He adjusted his tie and backed away from her. He peered around the corner looking around to see if anyone took a notice to their brief tussle. It didn't look like anyone noticed so he went back to being his bemused state he was acting before.

Narcissa emerged shortly and the three of them headed out the bank. Soon, they left Diagon Alley and were on the train to the countryside heading toward Malfoy Manor.

* * *

The Great Hall in Hogwarts was transformed into a winter dance with white everywhere. Not just white everywhere but more like ice everywhere. Ice sculptures of merpeople, dragons, phoenixes, and unicorns decorated the food tables, icicles hanging off the ceiling and the walls, snow flying everywhere in the Great Hall, and diamonds floated in place of the usual candles. Ruby was entranced by the beauty of the winter formal. She was wearing the diamond encrusted dress Narcissa bought for her in Diagon Alley back in the summer. Her blond hair was curled up in a simple updo while some waves of her hair hung down on the side of her face. Her stiletto heels were silver just like her dress and had small diamonds on the shoes as well.

Ruby glanced around looking for her date. She had no idea why or how she was in Hogwarts Great Hall for a winter formal. School hadn't even started for her yet, but she knew the detail of castle's main dining room so well. She saw Draco, but he was taken by some sour faced girl who just glared at her. She looked over to her right and saw Harry dancing with an orange haired girl. She thought it could be another Weasley because they were the only orange haired people she had met so far here in Britain. As she kept looking around, Ruby became even more confused and tried to piece together why she was here.

Sighing, she slowly descended down the stairs to the main dancing floor trying not to trip over her dress. _'When were steps placed in the Great Hall? I know they weren't here a second ago' _she thought to herself. As soon as she landed on the bottom of the steps, all heads in the hall turn toward her. Some glowered at her, some look dumbfounded that they were staring at Ruby Aldridge, but most others looked content with her arrival. Someone caught a hold of her by the arm and gently pulled her away from the stairs to one of the tables. Ruby glimpsed over her right shoulder trying to get a good look at her escort, but all she saw was the back of his head.

He placed her at the table and she got a good look at him. It was Blaise Zabini but he was leaving her. "Where are you going? Aren't you my date for this dance?" she asked him confusedly. Ruby tried to get up out of her seat, but she couldn't move. It was as if her whole body was glued right on to the chair, and in turn the chair was glued to the floor. "Look at me Blaise and tell me," she begged him to tell her.

Blaise turned around and said, "You must be blind. I only brought you here because he asked me to. Your real date will show up in a few minutes. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy your evening with your special someone. He smiled mischievously at her before walking away from her. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared in the mass crowd of dancers.

Ruby frown not knowing whether to be upset or scared for her actual date to the winter dance at Hogwarts because she had no idea what to expect. Blaise said her date would show up soon, and she sat anxiously awaiting whoever it is. She groaned a little bit jealous of everyone else around her having a good time while she was stuck sitting at a table all alone.

"You know you aren't alone Miss Grindelwald," spoke person across the table from her. She didn't see anyone approach and sit down at her table, but this dream, if that what it is, isn't what is seems. Out of the corner of her eye, she did see someone sitting comfortably in one of the elaborate chairs. He was across the table from her smiling eerily at her. She slowly turned her head to get a better view of the stranger, but he suddenly was inches away from her face still smiling.

"I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong girl. I'm Ruby Aldridge, not 'Miss Grindelwald' as you spoke a few seconds ago," she spoke coolly to him. He was dangerously close to her face, only one swift move and he could kiss her on the lips. _'Why am I thinking about kissing this stranger? I have no idea who he is and I'm thinking about kissing. Am I in some sort of dream state and lost my mind'_ she thought to herself.

"Oh but I think you do know what I am talking about Sapphire. You may have hidden behind your alter ego of Ruby Aldridge for this long, but it will never fool me. You look too much like your mother, but none of these idiots could piece together who you are," the man said to her. He raised his hand and stroked the side of her with a chilly touch. Suddenly, Ruby was standing but the distance between the two of them did not change. She tried to move away, but she couldn't. "You know, you can kiss me if you want. Your head is practically screaming it," he added.

'_What the hell is up with getting glued down or something? And how does he know who I am? Why is he reading my mind? Ugh, my head hurts'_ she thought. "Well since you can 'read' my mind there is no use of denying who I am," she spoke to him. "My question is how you found out who I am because only two other people knew who I was and they wouldn't hand this information out to anyone."

The man's fingers still brushed along her face, her jaw bone, and slowly to the back of her neck. His free arm wrapped around her petite body and pulled her close to him. His head lowered down to her neck and whispered, "Just think of me as a memory from your past life. A memory that has yet to happen for you. One day you will know who I am and then you will realize what this dream means." His breath sent shivers down her spine making goose bumps appear all over her arms and her back.

He winked at her and then they were in the center of the dance floor. There was nobody else around them, the dance must have ended but yet the two of them were still there. The band that was originally playing was gone, but an old record player played a sweet instrumental dance. The violins' notes filled the air around them as they glided to the music. He was leading her, making all the moves and steps for her since she didn't know how to dance so smoothly. He dipped her down and brought her back up, their face millimeters away from each other.

Ruby was confused. She couldn't piece the logic together and a whirlwind of emotions weren't helping her either. Everything set up in this dream was her ideal setting for a first kiss, give or take the setting. As the two continue to move as on, her instinct was to kiss him right that minute. He held her there for what seemed like minutes. She closed her eyes and moved her lips forward to kiss him. Their lips brushed lightly against each other before he pulled away. When she opened them, he was gone, the Great Hall was deserted, no decorations or evidence of a dance was in place, and she was cold.

"Only just a matter of time before you are mine" floated around Ruby. His voice kept repeating as she tried to find an escape. All the doors were locked, and she was trapped inside the hall. The voice bouncing off the walls just like the music notes did only seconds ago when they were dancing. Her dress was gone as well as her heels. Her hair was ratted and unkempt. She felt warm liquid running down her face. Ruby hadn't realized she was crying. She only wanted to get out of this place, this place of torture.

She felt like she was in a movie. Locked, trapped inside a place waiting to be murdered by the 'bad guy' of the plotline. The camera zooming around her as she stood in the small area of light moving her head side to side looking scared to death hoping this would soon be over. She collapsed to the ground pulling her legs into her chest. Ruby sniffed trying to get her breathing under control which isn't an easy thing to do since she doesn't know what is happening. All she wanted was the voice to stop echoing around her and the place return to normalcy.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, JUST STOP! PLEASE JUST GO AWAY," she screamed at the top of her lungs at the voice. She knew it was no use, but it was the only thing she could do in a circumstance like this. She pull her hands over her ears hoping that would help block his voice out, but it only made things worse. Ruby couldn't take it anymore, and she knew the only way to get out of this nightmare.

"I'm yours," she whispered under her hiccups. "I, Sapphire Grindelwald have always been yours. Just please stop and I will always be yours."

The darkness around her started to spin. She felt herself falling into a hole and screamed. It wouldn't do her much justice but she was scared. She didn't know of anyone else who wouldn't scream when they are falling to their death. Ruby felt a rough hand pressing her down to her bed, the other hand grabbing her free moving arm.

* * *

"Ssshhhh Ruby, everything is ok. Relax, it was only a bad dream," said the man in an unnerving voice. She opened her eyes realizing she was back in her bed and Lucius was standing over her. Ruby was startled seeing how close he was to her and how quickly he was in her room. She relaxed her body a little bit knowing what she just experienced was just a dream. He released his grip on her and stroked the side of her head. "Now that's better. Are you all right?" Lucius spoke to her again.

She moved her hands across her face wiping away her wet tears. She sniffed again and said, "Yeah, I guess I am. Just a bad dream, a horrible dream." She looked up him seeing he was standing over her. No matter how much time she spends with the Malfoys, Lucius still sends shivers down her spine.

"Well, try to get back to sleep. Tomorrow is an important day for you. It is your first day at Hogwarts," he spoke again. Lucius patted the top of her head before disappearing out the door.

Ruby turned onto her side looking at the window. It was a clear night, a beautiful night for any other being. For her, it meant if she tried to sleep again the dream would came back to her. She sighed and slipped out of her duvet. She gradually inched toward the mirror in her room and looked at herself. She had to admit she was beginning to look more like her mother each day. "Well father, you got your wish," she whispered to the mirror. "It looks like there is nothing I can do. Sapphire Grindelwald will always be with me no matter how I try to hide her."

* * *

1939

"Sir," an out of breath Cornwall spoke. "I think you need to hear about this: A boy just older than Sapphire…."

"Enough," Grindelwald screeched at his assistant. "You are not to talk about my daughter under any circumstances. I thought I made myself clear but apparently I haven't." He rose from his chair circling around his second in command. He had to admit, Cornwall did look tired as if he spent hours upon hours building up the courage to speak to his master. "Very well," he sighed. "What is this dire news you must share with me?

"Well," Cornwall choked a little mumbling over his words. "Like I was saying, there is this boy who is finishing up his first year at Hogwarts. He was placed in Slytherin House, but he has a family heirloom that is unique. The locket's crest represents Slytherin himself."

"Hmmm, how interesting," murmured Grindelwald as he continued his pace around Cornwall. "Good work Cornwall. This information must not be shared with anyone else. You hear me? Nobody must know of this or I will have a special present for you." The wicked smile appeared across his face as he eyed the cowering man. "If that's all you have for me, you may leave," he added saying.

With a curt nod, Cornwall apparated away from Grindelwald's headcounters. Grindelwald returned to his seat behind his mahogany desk and pulled out his quill and parchment. Making a few short notes, he returned his writing material back to one of his drawers. Today turned out to be a good day for him, he has found his apprentice.

* * *

AN: Haha, so I promised the Golden Trio would make it in the story. Though it was a brief introduction, they were still there. I promise they will be in it more next chapter =]

Since this is the exact chapter I used from my previous story with minor revisions, let me know if you find any errors with character's names or if I didn't complete a thought. It occasionally happens.

As always, I'm open to reviews, comments and suggestions =]


	5. There's Something Inside You

AN: Thanks to The Yoshinator for reviewing my story. This chapter is definitely a filler for the story. More interacting between characters will be evident in the next chapter =]

* * *

_Soothing, I'll make you fell pure_

_Trust me, You can be sure_

_I want to reconcile the violence in your heart_

_I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask_

_I want to exorcise the demons from your past_

_I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart_

_Muse "Undisclosed Desires"_

* * *

The trip to Hogwarts was not what Ruby was expecting. She wanted to glide onto Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross with the rest of Hogwarts students. She wanted to smell the coal burning steam rising from train and listen to laughter of young children departing to the great castle of Hogwarts. She wanted the train ride to be all she expected and be acquainted with some students so her transfer to Hogwarts was somewhat of a smooth transition. All of is what she expected but it was not meant to be for her. She had to first travel by muggle transportation, a luxury silver sports car, with Lucius and Narcissa to a specific portkey location. The location was chosen by the Ministry and Professor Dumbledore, which was considered a "safe portkey location" from He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named. She wasn't sure where she was, but the selected location was in the middle of rural farmland.

'_Of course the Ministry and Dumbledore would choose an isolated location away from muggles and other civilization. It's not like it's an easy target for Lord Voldemort to attack. This pretty much invites him to come attack us'_ she thought to herself. Narcissa and Lucius beckoned for her to grab a hold of their arms, since their portkey activation and transportation time was nearing. Though she knew portkeys didn't require her to hold on to anyone, she thought it was strange they wanted her grasping their arms. She didn't argue with them and did what they suggested, though she was slightly confused. '_Maybe if there was some sort of attack, they want to apparate away quickly' _was the only logical thought that crossed her mind. Her luggage and trunk full of her clothes, school material, and other miscellaneous items were shipped ahead of time to Hogwarts. Though she was glad she didn't have to lug the entire luggage across meadow, it did feel like she was missing part of her, as crazy as it seemed. The portkey was an old rusted bucket lying on its side by a small creek as it came into view.

'_Breathe Ruby, breathe. You have used a portkey before and this is nothing new. You don't have to be nervous about this' _she thought to herself. Her facial expression must have looked worried because Narcissa gently patted her on the back saying, "Everything will be okay love. It only lasts a few seconds." Lucius was tapping his foot impatiently studiously watching the second hand tick on his pocket watch. She didn't know how much longer she had to stay holding onto to both of them. It was an uncomfortable position for her to be in and just wanted the transportation to happen. She hated the suspense.

Finally, Lucius spoke up saying, "Ok we have twenty seconds until the portkey is active and then another five seconds until transportation. Grab ahold of the bucket…" He paused for a few moments waiting for the time to tick down to exact moment. He then spoke in a slightly louder voice saying, "NOW!" All three of them broke their linkage and grabbed ahold of the buckets handle. Ruby counted down from five in her head. Soon enough, her surroundings began to swirl around and screamed when she felt the three of them lifting into the air. She felt like a fish hook was attached to her belly button yanking her away from the portkey. It was a gut wrenching feeling for her and felt like she would vomit any second. Narcissa yelled over her screaming, "Ruby, you have to let go!" She heard it and watched as Lucius and Narcissa let go descending into the abyss. She took a deep breath and let go of the portkey as she felt herself fall.

Her landing was not a very graceful one as she fell flat on her face. Grumbling, Ruby slowly rose to her feet glancing over at the amused Malfoy couple. _'They must have landed perfectly on their feet. I don't see any sign of grass or dirt on their clothes,' _she thought to herself. She glared at the couple when they both chuckled and commented on her beautiful theatrics. Turning away rolling her eyes, she took a look at her new surroundings. The three of them portkeyed from one rural area to another rural wooded area outside of a small town. The town looked strangely familiar, like she had seen in a travel brochure or something. It wasn't until she completely saw her surroundings and saw the Hogwarts castle standing brightly off some distance away to know they arrived in Hogsmeade.

"The students won't be arriving for another few hours, but Headmaster Dumbledore wanted you to arrive early so you can become acquainted with Hogsmeade and Hogwarts," Lucius coolly spoke to her. Lucius and Narcissa glided away from their position and headed into town not waiting for Ruby to follow. Grumbling and sighing, Ruby followed the couple in suit as she slowly walked around Hogsmeade.

As much as she hated to admit, Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts landscape looked more picturesque in person rather in picture. A picture can capture some beauty, but a human's eye is the truly the judge of nature. Ruby's eyes lingered over to a few of the shops, though her eyes immediately spotted the ever famous Three Broomsticks once they passed the rail station. _'I wonder if I will be eating lunch in the castle or down here in town' _she thought to herself as she hurried passed the place. Ruby always wanted to try a butterbeer from the place.

Ruby finally caught up to the Malfoy couple after a few brief moments. Though only a few seconds past, both Lucius and Narcissa looked displeased they had to wait for her. "Dumbledore knew exactly when the portkey was activated and transporting us here; however, we still have another hour before he can let all of us into the castle," Lucius informed her. She sighed not hearing exactly what he was mumbling, but she made out a few words, "… certain precautions… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named… safety of the school… strict gate openings…"

"Well, we might as well eat something while we wait," Narcissa coolly suggested to the group. Hearing her stomach growling, Ruby's head immediately nodded seconding her suggestion. She was hoping they would say the Three Broomsticks so she can finally taste the liquid deliciousness of a butterbeer. Besides, she didn't know of any other place in Hogsmeade that would serve some sanitary bar food.

Lucius shook his head back and forth not agreeing with his wife stating, "The headmaster said lunch would be served to us once we step foot into the Great Hall. We can stop for a small treat, perhaps in Honeydukes."

Whatever feelings Ruby had about a butterbeer immediately skyrocketed out of her brain when Lucius mention Honeydukes. Besides the butterbeer, she always wanted to try of the stores delectable sugar treats that would make any student's mind blow. Before anyone could protest the idea, she jetted toward the door with a wide smile on her face not caring what Lucius or Narcissa were saying to her.

Honeydukes definitely is a world of its own, much like the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes shop in Diagon Alley. All different sort of gummy, sugar, and licorice candy bending in all directions with an assortment of colors popping out of every corner of the store. Cotton Candy, which she learned is called candy floss in England, is flowing out of the machine in its vibrant colors while home-made fudge and chocolate were slowly being created. Ruby's mouth began to water at of all the various candies and aromas filling her nostrils and lungs. She just wished she could buy every single piece of candy in sight.

Trying to decide only of what to buy is very difficult for Ruby. She after she ogled the store, the Malfoy couple entered and informed her she can get two items. As much as she wanted the enormous licorice figure of a lollipop, Ruby opted to get a small box of Honeyduke's home-made fudge and a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Ruby believed the Malfoy's were relieved she didn't get the ten gallon chocolate statue of Hogwarts. Smiling and thanking the Malfoys for the small treat, it was finally time for them to enter Hogwarts.

* * *

Walking through the detailed carved oak wood doors of Hogwarts is an unbelievable feeling for Ruby. She never thought in a million years she would make it to Hogwarts, let alone be taught in Hogwarts because of her past, and her unknown future to behold. The entryway and what she believed to be the lobby of the castle is bigger than all of SAW's classrooms combined. Her eyes glanced over to the Malfoys, whom she believed weren't marveling in the elegance of Hogwarts since they had attend and been in the school thousands of times. She sighed as she felt her nerves coming to her.

Dumbledore and three other professors were making their way down the marble staircase to greet the visitors. "Oh how wonderful you are all here and just in time for a light lunch," Dumbledore beamed to Lucius, Narcissa and Ruby. Ruby noticed Dumbledore's eyes to be twinkling under his half-mooned spectacles. Though she had seen pictures of him before, having the man who has a key to her past standing before her very eyes is very nerve ending for Ruby. She bites her lower lip as more and more thoughts circulate in her head as Dumbledore inquires about their trip making sure every stuck to plan. Upon seeing his approval, the headmaster beckoned them to follow him into the Grand Hall.

Ruby thought the entryway was grand, but it had nothing on the Grand Hall. It was hard for Ruby to processes exactly what she was seeing. There were candles floating every which way direction and the ceiling mirrored what looked to be an afternoon skyline. There were four large and long tables, which she assumed were the house tables, and high table where she assumed the staff ate. Ruby's wide eyes must have given away her awe as Dumbledore leaned over and whispered to her, "Not even the best detailed author can capture the true essence of beauty this room reflects."

Set on one of the four tables were seven place settings along with some appeitizers to begin the meal. Dumbledore motioned with his hands for every to sit down and soon appeared their lunch. It wasn't a grand lunch which she was expecting, nonetheless it was delicious. While everyone was eating Dumbledore spoke to Ruby saying, "Now Miss Aldridge, I don't expect you to navigate and know every single hallway or classroom by the end of the day. But this is why I brought three of your teachers here to help you." He pointed to an elderly looking woman, but nowhere nears looks as old as Dumbledore. "This is Professor Minerva McGonagall and she is your Transfiguration teacher." Professor McGonagall smiled and took a sip of her pumpkin juice while Dumbledore continued with the rest of the introductions. "She is also the head of Gryffindor."

"The Professor on my right is Professor Severus Snape and he is your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a new one which I should mention." Snape definitely had a cunning demeanor to his appearance. He didn't keep up his hygiene, she could tell by his greasy black hair, but didn't look very friendly. "He is the former Potions teacher, and also the head of Slytherin." Though Ruby broke eye contact with the former Potions master, she could still feel his eye on her.

"And finally…," Dumbledore spoke finally ending all the introductions. "… is Professor Horace Slughorn, reclaiming his position as your Potions teacher." When Ruby first laid eyes on Professor Slughorn, she had to suppress a chuckle because the first thought that came across her mind is that Slughorn looked like a walrus because of his thick moustache.

As soon and Dumbledore finished speaking, Ruby quickly said, "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. It's such an honor to be at this school and to meet you all. I hope I will be one of the best students you have this year and I grow as a witch." She wanted to make a good first impression on her teachers: an eager young transfer student wanting to learn seemed like the best route she should go.

* * *

"The end of the hallway around the right is the Hospital Wing," Snape said in his monotone voice. Each Professor is guiding Ruby around the castle by floor. Since Snape is the DADA and the classroom is on the first floor, it was fitting for him to take her around the first floor. "To our left the Muggle Studies classroom and across the hall is where you will have Defense against the Dark Arts class with myself," he finished saying. They walked passed may other rooms and never went into any more detail except for what he felt was necessary for him to tell her. Ruby tried to make small talk with her him but he wasn't in the mode.

When they reached the moving staircase, he did mention to scurry up the stairs quickly because they enjoyed moving and changing course fast. Taking his advice, she sprinted up the stairs and met with Professor Slughorn. There weren't many classrooms on the second floor, but he did point out where her Ancient Runes and the Arithmancy classes would take place. Ruby took note that Slughorn enjoyed talking about himself and bragging about what excellent students he taught and how she could easily become one if she focused on her school work. Before she knew it, it was time for her to move onto the third floor with Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall was by far the best out of the three. She made light conversation, a few witty remarks and treated Ruby as an individual, though she could feel the sternness and seriousness of McGonagall's personality. "There isn't much excitement on the third floor except for the Charms Corridor. There is always something new and exciting Professor Flitwick has planned for the décor of the hallway," McGonagall told Ruby. With nothing else new to show, Ruby headed for the fourth floor to await Snape yet again.

"The majority of the space on the fourth floor is taken up by the Hogwarts Library. The Library has thousands of books to use for essays and other studies. Madam Pince is the librarian, a stern woman who treats books like they were her children. Everything else on this floor is self-explanatory," Snape informed her with his monotonousness tone. "The fifth, sixth and seventh floor will be done by Professor McGonagall and she will take you down to the Dungeons to meet with Professor Slughorn yet again." Sighing, Ruby made her way to the fifth floor.

McGonagall speedily went through the fifth floor just mentioning that's where the Prefects bathroom is located. "The sixth floor holds only one classroom and that is Transfiguration. If you cannot find it, ask a Gryffindor student and they will happily show you the classroom," she informed Ruby. "The seventh floor acts a gateway to the two tower classrooms: The Astronomy Tower and Divination. Divination is at the base of the North Tower and the Astronomy classroom is located at the end of the hallway." Professor McGonagall looked outside seeing the sun slowly setting in the west and exclaimed, "We must get ready for the students. They should be arriving very shortly." Ruby never got to see the Dungeons as McGonagall whisked her away to prepare for her grand entrance.

* * *

After her brief tour, McGonagall hurried her into the Head Boy and Girls room while the house elves helped her prepare for the evening. Though she was familiar with the creatures, she couldn't believe how crafty they were with fixing her hair and applying make-up to her face. After only thirty minutes of preparation, Ruby's hair was in a half up, half down hair due set in loose curls. The house elves did not over do on the make-up, only applying small amounts of foundation and blush to bring out the curvature of her face. She was also glad they did a light coat of mascara, eye shadow, and eyeliner over her eyes. Once of the house elves, she believed her name was Pinky, brought her a small mirror to check to make sure their work met her satisfaction. "Of course. Everything looks perfect. I wouldn't have been able to do this all by myself," Ruby exclaimed to Pinky. Pinky, blushing a little bit, took the mirror away and disappeared. '_Well, guess it's time to put on my dress.'_

Ruby's dress wasn't anything spectacular compared to the dress Narcissa bought for her in Diagon Alley. It was a simple blue dress with a small bow tied around her waist. The sleeves were set just off her shoulders and the dress hung just above her knees. A silver pair of one inch heels was set next to the dress. She rolled her eyes knowing walking in heels could be disastrous if it got stuck in a crack and she fell. Sighing yet again, she strapped on the heels and headed down the corridor to wait. She of course had help from a house elf because she got lost and needed help to find the Grand Hall.

'_Everything will be ok Ruby. The first year students just faced what you are about to do. If an eleven-year-old can stand in front of students twice their size, hell, I can do,'_ Ruby thought to herself as she paced back and forth outside the Grand Hall. Every part of her body felt nervous. Her heart was beating a thousand times a second and felt the blood circulating all through. She took quick short breaths trying to slow down the breathing, all of which was unsuccessful. _'I'm probably going to sweat through my entrance dress and robes. Everyone is going to see my sweat marks under my armpits, on my chest and even my face.' _She felt the sweat slowly trickle down her face as she awaited her cue to enter.

'_Ok, when Professor Dumbledore says his long preface about me, that's when I bust through the doors and skip down the mail aisle singing sweet melodic tunes while every face in the hall pinpointed on me,' _Ruby huffed as that thought crossed her mind. She did admit, however, that it would be an unforgettable entrance. Her feet hurt after a while of pacing, so she sat on a bench and waited for Dumbledore's speech to end.

Ruby started to pay attention when Dumbledore started to talk about her. '_Okay, wait for your name to be called and that's your cue' _she thought to herself. She hadn't realized she was chewing on the bottom of her hip when she taste the saltiness of her blood. She licked her tongue across her lip hoping it would stop the bleeding. Then, ruby heard Dumbledore saying, "And of course, this is an extra special year because we have a transfer student coming to Hogwarts. A few of you may have met her in Diagon Alley, but the rest of you will meet her tonight. Now, she will be a sixth-year student but she is at the tender age of fifteen. She also comes to us from the United States, where she attended the Salem Academy of Wizarding. May we all give a warm welcome to Miss Ruby Aldridge."

Ruby quickly rose to her feet and got into position just in time when the doors opened. She heard the loud applauds echoing off the walls and seeing everyone's face turn toward her caused her to blush a little. '_Showtime,' _she thought to herself with a small smile. She looked around to her left and right before sauntering down the middle aisle. She didn't want to make any eye contact with anyone, because she didn't want to fall and or embarrass herself by walking into someone. By this point, everybody was standing, even standing on their benches and tables trying to get a look of the new mysterious transfer student. She tried to keep her breathing even, but everything occurring around her distracted her too much.

Dumbledore tapped his wine glass and a great chime echoed in the Grand Hall signaling to the students to be quiet. He motioned for her to sit on the stool facing the four houses while Professor McGonagall held the sorting hat. _'This is it. Nothing else left to lose,'_ she thought to herself as she seated herself on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head as she and the rest of the students and faculty awaited the hats decision. Ruby closed her eyes and waited for the Sorting Hat to speak.

"_Hmmmmm, where to place a child, like yourself is a very difficult task for the Sorting Hat._

_You are not naïve like the ones before you were, but you still have so much to learn._

_Your qualities are unlike I have ever seen._

_Loyalty: Whoever you follow, they have your utmost heart. A great characteristic of Hufflepuff._

_Courage: You do not use words or rashness; rather you use what your heart says regardless of the consequences. There might be a little lion in your after all._

_Intelligence: Being the youngest to graduate from your American school says it all. You take your studies very seriously, and your wit can be compared to the Headmaster, only if you set your mind to it. Ravenclaw can dazzle you beyond your own imagination._

_Ambition: Many have it, but very few actually follow it. Yours is truly unique. On one hand you have your own story to write but at the same time, someone else has a different plan for you. Either path you take will lead to greatness, but it is your story to tell. Slytherin can easily lead you to your own destiny._

_But when to put a special child of your own uniqueness especially when all your characteristics point to all four houses" _mused the sorting hat. While Ruby was waiting, the sorting hat at most took only a minute or two before deciding on a house. For her, it felt like five minutes while the sorting hat decided where to place her.

"_Hmmmm, your mind begins to wonder and I have feared that I cannot ultimately make a decision. All you have to do is think of one of the four houses and then your sorting will be complete," _the sorting hat told her.

Ruby, yet again took another deep breath contemplating where she could go. She definitely knew she didn't want to be in Gryffindor. Though she did have a temper, she could not stand living with the lot of them. They of course are friendly, but they let their emotions get in the way of logic sometimes. She thought for a brief moment about Hufflepuff, chuckled and said to herself, '_Haha, no one will take me seriously. From the looks of them, all they care about are looks.' _So it came down to Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

'_I could live in Ravenclaw, but school isn't always about studying and getting perfects. Maybe Slytherin is the place for me…,' _she pondered.

Before she could change her mind, the sorting hat yelled, "Slytherin!" The cheers for the Slytherin Table were the loudest thing Ruby ever heard. She finally opened her eyes and looked around the Grand Hall. The three other houses look dejected like they had lost the Quidditch match or House Cup race. Keeping her lips pressed together, a small smile appeared on her face as she made her way over to her new house.

As she crossed the Grand Hall, she made eye contact with Harry Potter. He seemed very bitter that she was sorted in Slytherin. '_Maybe he recognized me from Diagon Alley and hoped I would be a Gryffindor,' _she thought. She shrugged her shoulders slightly as she sized up where to sit. Every boy and girl in Slytherin was pushing each other aside trying to make room for Ruby to sit down.

Not sure where she would sit, she locked eyes with Blaise hoping he made room for her. She didn't want to sit next to Malfoy, Goyle or Crabb. Plus, Blaise will probably make the transition a little more relaxing for her. He smiled as he pushed some smaller, scrawny Slytherin boy out of the way and patted for her to sit down. "Thanks Blaise. I do hope I didn't cause any rumors to fly now with my arrival," she teased him as dinner appeared before their very eyes.

"Enjoy the feast, and remember the lemon tart pie is rather scrumptious this year," beamed a delightful looking Dumbledore as all the students began eating the savory food.

* * *

AN: I hope I didn't draw everything out too long. I'm still trying to figure out how exactly the plot is going to work. Haha, five chapters in and still no definite plan is a wonderful way to write/type a story. Anyways, I probably won't be able to update in a while since class is in full swing. I'm trying to delegate specific time to writing this story, whether it's an hour one day to five on a weekend when I'm trying to put off work, who knows.

As for the classrooms, not every class Ruby is taking was listed on a specific floor on the Harry Potter Lexicon site so I put them in logical places. Hopefully everything turns out ok. Also, wait until the next chapter for more of Grindelwald, Riddle, and The Trio =]


	6. Lies Itch of Nervous Endings

An: Thanks to The Yoshinator and Swimpandas2468 for the reviews

Yoshi: Harry Potter Lexicon is this website run by fans that has the best information concerning all things Harry Potter related. They have family trees, encyclopedia of spells, etc of the magical world of HP. The definition of lexicon is a dictionary or a stock of temrs used in a particular profession, subject, or style. Sorry for you had to wait so long. I've been very busy with college and only started writing this back on Halloween.

Swimpanadas: Thank you so much for the review and adding my story to your favorites and notification updates. It means a lot to me that someone else likes my story and is excited about my update. I'm sorry this isn't as soon as you thought but I really hope you enjoy this chapter =]

I don't know if I said this before and I'm too lazy to look this up, but thank you to Slytherin1999 and I'm Just Slytherin Around for the story add too :]

I hope everyone enjoys reading this chapter since it was so much fun to write about =]

* * *

_Liar, liar  
If we're keeping score  
We're all choir boys at best  
Intrusive and arrogant_

_Taking Back Sunday "Liar"_

* * *

The transition to Hogwarts was not as smooth as Ruby had hoped for. Though she was sorted into Slytherin, immediate questions were asked about her past, which was very uncomfortable for her. She could tell everyone the truth that she was indeed Grindelwald's daughter, but that would cause the spell to reverse and then send her immediately back to the 1940s, something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"So, what exactly is your blood type? Typical Americans are known to have tainted blood," a jealous Pansy Parkinson sneered at Ruby. Pansy hadn't been the nicest person to Ruby since they arrived back in the Slytherin Common Room, which is next to the Dungeons. Ruby suspected that it might be because she is getting more attention than her. "Only the purest wizarding blood are allowed into Slytherin, but sometimes the sorting hat forgets its place and places a dirty half-blood in our midst."

"Well, my memory was erased when I was young," Ruby began her lie of a story. She sat down in one of the arm chairs by the fire while the rest of the Slytherin house gathered around her. Ruby had to suppress a chuckle at what was happening. Never in a million years had she thought she would see Slytherin students interested in someone's life story. What she heard about them was that they were stuck up snobs who cared about practicing Dark Magic, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and social status in and around the Wizarding World.

She sighed as she continued with her rehearsed story. "It's very difficult to have memories restored, so I had to wait a few years before my guardian, Evelyn, could perform the spell," she informed them.

"Stop beating around the bush," a very impatient Millicent Bulstrode spoke interrupting Ruby's thought process. "We don't care about your sob story. We want to know if you are pure."

"She is most definitely a pureblood Millicent, Pansy. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have been able to enter Malfoy Manor without repercussions," spoke a bold Draco Malfoy. "Plus, she vacationed with me for a month giving me plenty of time to make sure she is of our status." Ruby couldn't help but not roll her eyes at this. Draco was trying to wave her in front of the girls to make them jealous thinking they had some sort of relationship over the summer. '_He's trying to get all the girls to turn on me. A very typical Slytherin male,' _she thought.

"Well, if everyone would have waited a moment, I was about to tell you my blood status," spoke Ruby trying to gather the attention of the common room back to her. "Evelyn couldn't restore every memory, but I did know my mother was a pureblood American witch, the same with my father but he was European." Ruby bit her lip as an image of Grindelwald flashed across her face. She tried not to ponder on it, and she hoped no one saw her mini spaz attack. '_Well they probably did.'_

"We Were weren't able to retrieve names of my parents, but it is known I did descend from the Aldridge line since I had crescent shape moon tattoo that appears only on the fourth day of the moon cycle," she replied. Technically it is true since her mother's heritage did have a few members immigrate to the United States. Most wouldn't know where to start since it is a pureblood sign of many European Wizarding families.

"Well, if there are any more questions, can they wait until tomorrow," Ruby said to all the Slytherins in the room. "I think we all had a long day and could use some rest for classes tomorrow." Despite many of the objections to what she said, Ruby stood up, strolled out of the common room, and headed to her dormitory. She just hoped Pansy and Millicent wouldn't keep her up all night with their gossip and questions.

* * *

Setting a meeting up with Tom Marvolo Riddle is quite a daunting task for Gellert Grindelwald. They had met briefly, first when Mr. Riddle was in Diagon Alley picking up his supplies for his second year of school. He slipped a fine piece of parchment into the lad's potion book telling him to meet him at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley for a special meeting. It didn't take long for the youngster to find the place and Grindelwald immediately revealed himself to the second year Hogwart student.

Gellert was very surprised to Riddle not cower in his fear like most "suitable" apprentices his followers had found for him. Riddle seemed to marvel at him like he was some kind of god, which to him he didn't mind. Grindelwald told the young Riddle about his daughter and how the two of them together can continue his legacy once he had passed a certain age: Riddle accepted his offer.

Ever since then, Gellert had been in contact with the Heir of Slytherin. They would meet on occasion some place away from Dumbledore's peering eye, usually in the Forbidden Forrest or Knockturn Alley. Gellert trained Riddle in the basics of the Dark Arts. He knew if he taught him any power Dark Art spell, Dumbledore would become suspicious immediately and track Riddle to himself.

Gellert knew the time was near for Sapphire's return to her own time. He knew if the spell wasn't casted before she turned seventeen, a hole in the time-space dimension would appear: a risk he knew Dumbledore would NOT want to happen. Either way, he must make sure his apprentice was ready for her arrival.

"CORNWALL," yelled a very irritated Grindelwald. Cornwall appeared in a matter of seconds, half cowering in fear half waiting for an Unforgivable Curse to be sent his way. "Did you set up a specific meeting place for Mr. Riddle and myself?" Grindelwald asked.

"Of…of… of course ma-aasster," Cornwall stuttered to him. "If you drink the polyjuice potion and appear as myself at the orphanage, everything will be fine."

"Perfect. You are dismissed, but leave the polyjuice," Gellert told him. As quickly as he appeared, Cornwall vanished behind the door leaving the polyjuice glass on his desk. Gellert rose and took the glass in his hands. "Bottoms up," he mumbled to himself before indulging himself in the awful taste of the potion.

* * *

"So, do you believe she will return this coming year," asked an inquisitive Tom Riddle. Tom could really care less when the girl would return. He would rather have the time hole appear and test where he would end up if he were to pass through it. "It makes logical sense. Dumbledore wouldn't want the girl to come any later than fifteen or sixteen. Hogwarts still would have the best education system in the future," he mentioned to his master.

"Maybe, but I can never tell with Dumbledore anymore. He always has a trick up his sleeve so knowing exactly what his plans with my daughter aren't very predictable," Grindelwald coolly replied to him.

"Still, I would love to see the look on the old bat's face when she and I are united as one. He probably will not see it coming," Riddle starkly replied. Of course, Dumbledore is the only teacher at Hogwarts he doesn't have complete control over. All the others fawn and gawk at his abilities to master spells on the first try. But Dumbledore, ever since he visited the orphanage telling him he was a wizard, could always see past his front. Like Dumbledore knew he would always be up to no good. Either way, once Grindelwald would take over the Wizarding World, Tom will be right by his side along with his wife, Sapphire.

"Never underestimate Dumbledore. He may be starting to lose his mind but he is always a threat to our plan," Gellert told him in a warning tone. Though Tom did admire his master, he always thought Grindelwald is too cautious with planning attacks and too vulnerable whenever he came to visit him. Either way, every time Grindelwald came it gave Tom more practice with the Unforgivables.

"It's always a dream of mind just catch the old dodger off guard with something, but he always seems to sleep with one eye open, always keeping that one eye on me," Tom replied. He looked at his watch and knew his time with Grindelwald will be up shortly. Either way, Tom was satisfied with his performance to his master. "I think you should leave. It's getting late and the muggles will start making their rounds. I will update you on my progress at the school once classes start," informed Tom.

Rising to his feet, Grindelwald nodded his head in agreement. "Until next time, my young apprentice," he spoke before apparating away, but never before his trademark wink. Tom never liked the wink, it reminded him too much of Dumbledore. Shaking the thought out of his head, he prepared himself for bed.

"Tomorrow, everything will be different. Once I'm reunited with my followers, Hogwarts will not know what hit them," he mumbled to himself before slowly drifting off to a deep slumber.

* * *

"You're taking eight classes? That's ridiculous! You won't have any time to socialize," complained a very upset Pansy.

"Yes," Millicent said in agreement to Pansy. "You won't have any time to date guys and then kick them to the curb. Of course you aren't as beautiful as us, but still you are the shiny new toy guys want to play with."

Ruby was trying to block out her roommates complaints about her class schedule. She came to Hogwarts to return back to her original time and to learn. She didn't come to lollygag and chase guys around like she was riding a broomstick or anything. Still, Pansy and Millicent were the only girls in the house that acted normal toward her. "I know, but I came to Hogwarts to get a solid education," she coolly replied to her new formed friends. "If a guy happens to come by, then it's an added bonus. Right now, I'm just trying to keep a low profile and keep to myself." Sighing, she knew this wasn't going to happen.

As the three of them walked into the Grand Hall for breakfast, almost everyone grew silent and watched the three of them take their place at the Slytherin table. "So much for keeping a low profile kid," teased a happy Pansy.

As more and more students began filing in to the hall, Ruby just kept her head down and tried to eat her breakfast without getting braided with a million questions: This wasn't her luck. She would smile at the smaller Slytherin students and reply with a short answer. She would excuse herself stating she wanted to finish her breakfast before going to her classes that day.

Draco and his posse entered for breakfast about twenty minutes before classes started. Before she could object, Draco shooed away the third year girl Ruby was sitting near and sat down next to her. "Good morning ladies," Draco said in a flirtatious tone, what came across Ruby as fake. "I can tell everyone had their beauty sleep. You all look marvelous."

Ruby gagged a little bit of her juice in throat before wiping the smile off her face. She knew he was a ladies man, but at 7:40 in the morning might be a little too early for her.

"Even though you just had arrived Draco, I must leave. I need to head to my first class and I don't want to get lost," Ruby said to them. Before any of her new found friends could say anything, Ruby stood up picking up her books. Though she probably figured she had her first class with them, she wanted to find the classroom on her own. "I'll see you guys shortly and please don't get up. I want to try to find the classroom on my own." Smiling, she left the table and headed out the hall.

She only had three classes today: A double in Advanced Potions, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Ruby was happy because she had her favorite classes all in one day. Though Runes an Arithmancy were until after lunch, Potions is always a great way to start the day. Since the Potions classroom is near the Slytherin Common Room in the Dungeons, Ruby didn't have a problem finding the classroom. Arriving about ten minutes early, the only other student in classroom was Hermione Granger. Smiling, she said to her, "So I guess Gryffindor and Slytherin have the double of Potions together."

Ruby must have surprised the Gryffindor because she jumped a little bit. Maybe she surprised her because Slytherins and Gryffindors aren't supposed to talk to one another: they after all were arch rivals. "It appears to be that way," Hermione curtly replied to her.

"I didn't mean to disturb you from your reading. I was just trying to be nice that's all," Ruby replied before taking a seat in the third room on the opposite side from Hermione. Ruby put her caluderon on the table and set her Advance Potion books next to it. She relaxed a little bit as Professor Slughorn entered the classroom.

He greeted the two girls and began writing the lesson on the chalkboard. "I just thought you were going to be like all the other Slytherins, my apologies Ruby," Hermione replied to her a few minutes later.

"That's ok. I think the only reason why I was sorted into Slytherin was because I want to be great in everything that I do. Ambition probably," Ruby said to her. Before the conversation could continue any further, a bunch of Slytherins entered the room. Draco wasn't with them but Blaise quickly took the seat next to her. She smiled at him and said, "Thanks. I don't think I would have been able to put up with Draco's ever changing moods towards me."

Blaise shrugged his shoulders shaking his head slightly. "He's just off. One minute he's his old self and then the next he could be mopey," Blaise told her. "Plus, I figured after breakfast you didn't want to sit with him."

Ruby nodded her head in agreement. "Most definitely," she replied to him.

Soon after, more and more Slytherin and Gryffindor students started piling in. Ruby chuckled once each house realized they had a double class with each other, their faces turned to sour pouts and took to sitting on each house side. Once the bell chimed the beginning of class, Professor Slughorn tapped his wand on the desk to get everyone's attention. "Good morning, good morning class. Such a wonderful class to start off the year isn't it?" Slughorn said as he continued on with introductions and what the year was going to be like.

Ruby would have paid attention, but Slughorn yet again started to brag about his wonderful career, his successful students and how they stay in contact with him. She pretended to pay attention and at the same time keep Blaise awake. She would occasionally punch him just to make sure.

"Finally, onto today's lesson. Usually everyone who is sitting at each table are partners, but I figured why not sit next to someone you do not know. So, I arranged a seating chart just for the first few lessons," Slughorn stated. All the students groaned knowing he would probably pair each Slytherin to a Gryffindor, a combination that could be deadly.

Ruby didn't mind it so because this is a new experience. She knows very little of all her house mates, apart from Blaise, Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and what Pansy and Millicent told her earlier, but getting to know Gryffindors would be an excitement. "All righty, the list is posted and now off we go," a very bubbly Slughorn expressed.

Ruby waited for the mass huddled around the single parchment posted to the chalk board to die down before slowly rising from her seat to see who she was working with. In all honesty, Ruby hoped it would be Blaise, but she doubted it. Scanning the parchment, her eyes fixed on her name: She was working with Harry Potter.

* * *

Tom was musing to himself as he lies in his four post bed: He was finally home. A home where he feels he belongs to and a place where he dominates. He could care less that that he had a double Transfiguration with the batty codger first thing in the morning. Tom was pleased to be back where he knows he could be some-what of himself on normal bases. _'Of course no will susceptive the top student to do anything out of line'_ he thought to himself.

Again, Tom was sharing a room with Abraxas, Orion, and Cygnus. He didn't mind sharing the room with the three. Though he would prefer his own room, he was glad he was surrounded by his trusted followers. If anything were to happen to him, he knows the three of them would be willing to fight for any cause.

Tom returned early from the feast. He had enough of the new first year Slytherin girls' goodly eyes over him. He knew he was attractive but first years rather annoyed him. They did not know anything and pretends to know how great it is to be a wizard. Only he can truly say that because he is the heir to the Slytherin House. The prince of Hogwarts.

Before getting too caught in his muses, Abraxas and Cygnus flew into the room pushing shutting the door on the trailing Orion. Both Abraxas and Cygnus were laughing hysterically while Orion banged on the door. "What type of antics are you boys up to this late at night. You do remember we have class early tomorrow," Tom said to his roommates.

"Aw, nothing out of the ordinary Tom," Abraxas quickly replied to him. Though Tom disliked his name, he would prefer that his followers called him "My Lord," but Tom figured that would raise too much suspicion in and among Hogwarts. Since Tom always thinks rationally, he decided that for every day contact, Tom was a suitable address. When there were meetings for his followers, he required all of his followers to address him as "My Lord."

"We convinced a first year that Orion had a crush on her," Cygnus quickly responded as the two of them tried to hold the door shut on Orion. "The best part was that we then coaxed her to ask Orion out saying he was too bashful to ask her."

Tom was getting bored with these childish games. He quickly pulled out his want and casted a simple stupefy charm in the two directions. Freezing up, both boys fell to the ground and immediately the door swung open. Orion, not expecting the sudden openness, fell through and tripped over and fell on the stunned boys. Now this whole commotion revealed a smirk on Tom's face with a small chuckle.

"So what's this I hear Orion," Tom begin to say to him. "I hear the only girl that would go for you was a first year. Don't you think that's a little too young for your liking," Tom teased the younger Black cousin. Cygnus and Orion both had the Black surname but were cousins. Though cousins, the two of them acted more like siblings.

"Arg, I don't want to talk about it," a very red faced Orion spoke as tried to get up off of Cygnus and Abraxas. Before he could make any more moves, Cygnus grabbed Orion's ankles before Orion fell back on the ground. Again. "Ugh, this is too much for one night," grumbled a very pissed off Orion.

Tom was not pleased with the Tomfoolery amok, but he rather the boys get all their childish antics out of way before their official meetings would occur. He watched the three of them chase each other around their room knocking various heirlooms and trinkets off their desks and drawers. The boys acted more like animals rather than pure-blood wizards of noble family. _'If only my blood-traitor mother wouldn't have fallen for a muggle, maybe I could announce to them that I am the Heir of Slytherin' _Tom thought to himself.

Once again, Tom became bored with his followers' behavior. He raised his wand and shot out a simple red spark to gain their attention. Cygnus, Orion, and Abraxas immediately stopped in their tracks, though Orion was being held by Abraxas while Cygnus attempted to tickle his cousin to death. "Men, tomorrow begins our journey," Tom stated as he began to pace around the room. "Yes, tomorrow is the first day of classes and of our sixth year, but it is also the beginning. It is the beginning to a new force, a new alliance in Hogwarts. Though we may not conquer tomorrow, but everything leading up to what tomorrow starts will all be worth it in the end."

With that final note, Tom waved his wand around him casting a very simple non-verbal spell readying himself for bed. Seeing everyone else following suit, he settled into bed before drawing his four-post bed curtains closed._ 'Everything is going to change.'_

**AN**: Eh, I'm not very good at writing Riddle, Gellert, or any of the other trio. I hope I did a decent job and didn't destroy their characters all together. Sorry if I didn't properly put everyone together at the right age for the past. It's fanfiction, nothing is supposed to directly follow the story.

I have no idea when my next update will be. I literally had about 2700 words sitting for two months before deciding to start writing again. Maybe I'll have some time over Thanksgiving Break to bang out possibly two more chapters.


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